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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. craft — boats
  4. field — a subject
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. lie — to recline
  7. hand — in cards
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — a series
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — in cards
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. craft — a skill
  17. field — farmland
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. suit — clothes
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hand — help
  24. rash — on the skin

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