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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 116 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. chip — to eat
  4. stand — to bear
  5. field — farmland
  6. mine — for digging
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bound — obliged
  10. spell — magic
  11. bound — tied together
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. band — a ring
  14. field — for sport
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. spell — letters
  17. chip — for betting
  18. spell — a short time
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a music group
  23. bound — certain
  24. mine — an explosive

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