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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: date · ball · cap · straw · craft · mark · field · hide

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. field — a subject
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. field — for sport
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. cap — a lid
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. cap — of ice
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ball — a dance
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. craft — boats
  15. mark — a trace
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cap — a hat
  18. ball — a great time
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. field — farmland
  24. craft — a skill

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