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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. field — a subject
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. ground — the earth
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. present — the time now
  12. march — the month
  13. present — there
  14. pitch — completely
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. ground — crushed
  17. march — music
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. present — a gift
  23. ground — a position
  24. march — the month

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