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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. field — for sport
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. field — farmland
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. stand — to bear
  10. pitch — completely
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. degree — temperature
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — an amount
  18. perch — the fish
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. field — a subject

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