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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. field — farmland
  5. spell — magic
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — an aim
  8. face — to confront
  9. row — a line
  10. club — a group
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. spell — a short time
  13. face — to point toward
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. field — for sport
  18. club — for dancing
  19. spell — letters
  20. object — to protest
  21. face — part of the head
  22. club — for golf
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bowl — a dish

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