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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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. hide — animal skin
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. field — for sport
  6. bear — the animal
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bat — the animal
  9. suit — to fit
  10. field — a subject
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bear — the animal
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. field — farmland
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. suit — clothes
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bat — in an idiom

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