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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 116 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 need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. stand — to bear
  3. game — a match
  4. perch — the fish
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. lean — thin
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. staff — employees
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. field — for sport
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. field — farmland
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. field — a subject
  17. staff — a stick
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. lean — to bend
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. staff — employees
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. game — wild animals

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