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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. field — for sport
  3. cell — in biology
  4. court — of a king
  5. lie — to recline
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. net — for catching
  8. field — farmland
  9. snap — to click
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. court — of law
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. mark — a grade
  18. court — for sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. cell — a phone
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mark — a trace

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