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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. field — a subject
  3. stand — to bear
  4. clip — for paper
  5. field — for sport
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. field — farmland
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. tear — from crying
  10. hand — help
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. clip — to cut
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. clip — a video
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. squash — to crush
  20. tear — from crying
  21. squash — the sport
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. tear — to rip

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