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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. field — farmland
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. rule — government
  10. dip — to sink
  11. lean — to bend
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. squash — to crush
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. rash — a series
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rule — a law
  24. lean — thin

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