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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. ground — a position
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. ground — the earth
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — farmland
  12. key — the most important part
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — the time now
  16. land — ground
  17. ground — crushed
  18. present — there
  19. key — in music
  20. key — for a lock
  21. tear — from crying
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — a country
  24. field — for sport

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