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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. field — a subject
  3. bound — certain
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. field — for sport
  7. pit — a hole
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. field — farmland
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bound — tied together
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. swing — to play on
  19. snap — to click
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — in golf
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bound — obliged
  24. pit — in a race

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