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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. shower — to wash
  5. swing — to play on
  6. can — a tin
  7. rest — what's left
  8. field — a subject
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. swing — music
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rest — what's left
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. can — a tin
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. fork — in a road
  22. swing — in golf
  23. shower — rain
  24. can — to be able to

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