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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. present — a gift
  6. field — for sport
  7. present — the time now
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. last — to go on
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fork — in a road
  14. hand — in cards
  15. last — final
  16. present — there
  17. field — a subject
  18. wind — moving air
  19. field — farmland
  20. last — finally
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. hand — help
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hand — part of the body

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