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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. kid — to tease
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. march — the month
  7. lie — to recline
  8. kid — child
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. march — music
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. march — the month
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. field — farmland
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. stand — to bear
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. lie — an untruth

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