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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 120 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pop — music
  5. track — to keep track
  6. field — for sport
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. field — a subject
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. pop — soda
  18. track — a song
  19. rush — hurry
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. pop — to visit
  22. track — a path
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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