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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 116 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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pitch — completely
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. spell — letters
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. fork — in a road
  15. spell — a short time
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — for sport
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mine — for digging
  23. spell — magic
  24. field — farmland

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