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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. object — a thing
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. object — an aim
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. ball — a great time
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. object — to protest
  11. field — farmland
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. row — a line
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — music
  17. row — to paddle
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. field — for sport
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. field — a subject
  22. rock — a stone
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com