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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.

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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. field — a subject
  4. rush — hurry
  5. mug — a cup
  6. ground — the earth
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. field — farmland
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. field — for sport
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. ground — crushed
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mug — a face
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ground — a position
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. mug — to rob

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