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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. fall — the season
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. field — for sport
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. field — a subject
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. stock — shares
  17. plane — a tool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. stock — goods
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hide — to keep secret

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