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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. saw — the tool
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. field — farmland
  9. rush — hurry
  10. chest — a box
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. chest — of your body
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bear — the animal
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. field — a subject
  22. bear — the animal
  23. dip — to sink
  24. chest — of your body

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