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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 120 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. field — for sport
  5. game — wild animals
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. game — a match
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — for betting
  12. ball — a dance
  13. season — of the year
  14. ball — a great time
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — farmland
  17. season — in sport
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. hand — help
  21. chip — to eat
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. game — a kind of play

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