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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. field — a subject
  3. drill — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. suit — clothes
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. chest — of your body
  10. field — for sport
  11. chest — a box
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. field — farmland
  14. saw — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. chest — of your body
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. row — to paddle
  20. drill — a practice
  21. suit — to fit
  22. row — a line
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. suit — in cards

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