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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 124 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. rash — hasty
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. hand — in cards
  8. staff — employees
  9. field — farmland
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. staff — a stick
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. pass — a permit
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. hand — help
  17. staff — employees
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. field — a subject
  21. rash — a series
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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