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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. firm — a company
  5. field — a subject
  6. ground — a position
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. ground — the earth
  9. squash — to crush
  10. field — for sport
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. track — a path
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. chair — a leader
  16. firm — steady
  17. squash — the sport
  18. track — to keep track
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. ground — crushed
  22. track — a song
  23. firm — decided
  24. field — farmland

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