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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — decided
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a song
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. spring — of water
  12. game — wild animals
  13. field — farmland
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. spring — the season
  16. track — a path
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. firm — steady
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spring — a coil
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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