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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. face — to point toward
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pop — music
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. field — for sport
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — the sport
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. field — a subject
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. ball — a dance
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. field — farmland
  24. leaves — lets stay

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