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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 124 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — for sport
  3. cold — not warm
  4. snap — to click
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. board — a committee
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. cold — an illness
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. board — to get on
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bore — to drill
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. field — a subject
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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