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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mine — for digging
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. pitch — completely
  19. field — farmland
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. field — for sport
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. arm — 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