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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. season — in sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. fall — to drop
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. field — for sport
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fall — to drop
  15. mark — a trace
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. mark — a grade
  19. fall — the season
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. field — farmland
  23. season — of the year
  24. game — a match

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