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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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rule — a law
  5. field — for sport
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. field — a subject
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. field — farmland
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. rule — government
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. stem — to come from
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. snap — to click
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. wind — moving air

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