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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. field — farmland
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fine — high quality
  5. field — a subject
  6. march — the month
  7. land — ground
  8. march — music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wound — an injury
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. field — for sport
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. march — the month
  22. stand — to bear
  23. fine — all right
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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