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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. key — in music
  5. roll — a cake
  6. field — for sport
  7. object — a thing
  8. key — the most important part
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — part of the head
  14. key — for a lock
  15. field — a subject
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. roll — a list
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — to protest
  21. kick — in football
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. field — farmland
  24. face — to confront

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