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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. field — farmland
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cell — in biology
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mug — a face
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cell — a phone
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mug — to rob
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. face — to confront
  24. bound — tied together

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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