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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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Word bank
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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. rest — what's left
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cold — not warm
  7. field — farmland
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — an illness
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. suit — in cards
  13. row — to paddle
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. rest — a break
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — to fit
  22. field — for sport
  23. row — a line
  24. field — a subject

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