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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. root — the cause
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. row — a line
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. stock — goods
  9. saw — the tool
  10. field — farmland
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. rest — a break
  16. field — for sport
  17. root — of a word
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stock — shares
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. row — to paddle
  22. root — of a plant
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. field — a subject

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