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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. suit — clothes
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fine — all right
  7. field — farmland
  8. stem — to come from
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. suit — in cards
  11. degree — from a university
  12. lean — to bend
  13. swing — music
  14. degree — temperature
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. swing — to play on
  17. fine — high quality
  18. degree — an amount
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. swing — in golf
  21. suit — to fit
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — thin
  24. field — a subject

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