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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. field — for sport
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bat — the animal
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. content — the amount
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. field — a subject
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. field — farmland
  24. deal — to handle

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