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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. field — farmland
  3. court — of law
  4. firm — decided
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. court — for sport
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. deal — to handle
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. can — a tin
  12. field — for sport
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. field — a subject
  15. can — a tin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. can — to be able to
  18. firm — a company
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. court — of a king
  22. firm — steady
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. deal — an agreement

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