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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. staff — employees
  12. field — a subject
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tube — a container
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. dip — to sink
  17. staff — employees
  18. tube — the underground
  19. deal — to handle
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. roll — a cake
  22. chest — a box
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. roll — a list

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