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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bear — the animal
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. march — music
  5. bear — the animal
  6. sharp — clever
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. field — farmland
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — the tool
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. march — the month
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. field — a subject
  18. march — the month
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. field — for sport
  24. kid — child

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