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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. object — an aim
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. roll — a cake
  6. mine — for digging
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. object — to protest
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — for sport
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. object — a thing
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pitch — completely

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