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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  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. field — farmland
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. content — the amount
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. pass — a permit
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. current — happening now
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. current — electric
  15. field — for sport
  16. content — happy
  17. field — a subject
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. current — of water
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. court — of a king
  23. bowl — to roll
  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