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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. root — of a plant
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. drill — army training
  7. field — a subject
  8. kid — to tease
  9. root — the cause
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. drill — a practice
  12. kid — child
  13. field — farmland
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pit — a hole
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. drill — the tool
  19. root — of a word
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. field — for sport
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. pit — in a race
  24. safe — a strongbox

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