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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. fall — to drop
  5. object — to protest
  6. chair — a leader
  7. ground — a position
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. fall — to drop
  12. field — a subject
  13. object — a thing
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. fall — the season
  16. object — an aim
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. ground — crushed
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. ground — the earth
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chair — a professorship

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