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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. net — in sport
  3. present — there
  4. spring — the season
  5. present — a gift
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. net — for catching
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. field — farmland
  10. spring — of water
  11. staff — employees
  12. rash — a series
  13. field — a subject
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. field — for sport
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. net — after costs
  18. staff — employees
  19. present — the time now
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. spring — a coil
  24. staff — a stick

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