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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rest — a break
  4. squash — to crush
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. field — farmland
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rest — what's left
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. field — for sport
  11. shower — rain
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. pit — in a race
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a skill
  18. pit — a hole
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. field — a subject
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. squash — the sport

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