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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. field — farmland
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. field — a subject
  5. squash — to crush
  6. chair — a leader
  7. fall — the season
  8. rock — music
  9. staff — a stick
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. staff — employees
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. field — for sport
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rash — hasty
  17. squash — the sport
  18. staff — employees
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rash — a series
  23. rock — a stone
  24. chair — to sit on

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