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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · craft · snap · hide · field · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — government
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. rule — a law
  8. field — a subject
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. snap — to click
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. craft — boats

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