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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. chip — to eat
  5. foot — a measure
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. row — to paddle
  11. field — for sport
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bear — the animal
  15. sharp — clever
  16. field — a subject
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. row — a line
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. field — farmland
  22. bear — the animal
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. chip — for betting

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