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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mine — for digging
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rash — hasty
  13. field — farmland
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rash — a series
  16. field — for sport
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — low music
  19. field — a subject
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bear — the animal
  24. lie — to recline

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