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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. pound — a weight
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mark — a trace
  7. spell — letters
  8. field — a subject
  9. spell — magic
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. fine — all right
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. field — farmland
  21. branch — a division
  22. pit — in a race
  23. spell — a short time
  24. field — for sport

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