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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. field — farmland
  4. court — of law
  5. can — a tin
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — a grade
  10. court — of a king
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. craft — a skill
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. court — for sport
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. craft — boats

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