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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. foot — a measure
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. ground — a position
  5. field — farmland
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. field — for sport
  13. perch — the fish
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. ground — crushed
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. ground — the earth
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. squash — to crush
  23. field — a subject
  24. perch — for a bird

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