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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. kid — to tease
  3. mate — to breed
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. firm — decided
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. firm — steady
  10. field — farmland
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. race — a contest
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. kid — child
  15. field — a subject
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. race — the arms race
  18. field — for sport
  19. race — humankind
  20. mate — a friend
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. firm — a company
  24. mate — a partner

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