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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. field — a subject
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bat — the animal
  6. field — farmland
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. ground — a position
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. field — for sport
  13. content — happy
  14. ground — crushed
  15. staff — employees
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. staff — employees
  21. content — the amount
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. staff — a stick

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