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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 124 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. present — a gift
  5. fine — high quality
  6. field — for sport
  7. present — the time now
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. lean — thin
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. field — a subject
  12. lie — to recline
  13. present — there
  14. pound — a weight
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — to bend
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. field — farmland
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. date — the fruit

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