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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 124 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. present — there
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. club — for dancing
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. field — a subject
  7. rush — hurry
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. present — a gift
  12. field — for sport
  13. squash — the sport
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. club — for golf
  16. field — farmland
  17. present — the time now
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. club — a group
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. squash — to crush
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. lie — to recline
  24. coach — a trainer

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