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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. mate — a partner
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. field — a subject
  8. clip — for paper
  9. firm — steady
  10. mate — a friend
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. dip — to sink
  16. firm — decided
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. mate — to breed
  19. field — for sport
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a skill
  24. firm — a company

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