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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. content — the amount
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. court — of a king
  9. foot — a measure
  10. field — a subject
  11. face — part of the head
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. content — happy
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — to confront
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. field — farmland
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. rash — on the skin

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