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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. sharp — clever
  3. cap — of ice
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. cap — a hat
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. squash — the sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. squash — to crush
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. cap — a lid
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. prune — to trim
  22. field — for sport
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. ruler — for measuring

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