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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. squash — to crush
  3. foot — a measure
  4. field — for sport
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. field — farmland
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. squash — the sport
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pitch — completely
  21. sharp — clever
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. fan — a supporter

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