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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. staff — employees
  4. wind — moving air
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bore — to drill
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. staff — employees
  12. can — a tin
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. field — farmland
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. can — a tin
  21. bore — to tire
  22. staff — a stick
  23. hand — help
  24. field — a subject

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