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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. field — a subject
  7. capital — a city
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. pitch — completely
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stand — to bear
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — money
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. field — farmland
  20. game — a match
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bear — the animal
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. hide — to keep secret

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