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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. field — for sport
  8. fine — all right
  9. spring — a coil
  10. squash — the sport
  11. fine — high quality
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. lie — to recline
  14. field — a subject
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bulb — for light
  19. spring — the season
  20. field — farmland
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. rash — hasty
  23. squash — to crush
  24. spring — of water

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