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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
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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: hide · pop · bay · lean · kid · fan · field · key

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. key — for a lock
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. field — a subject
  7. lean — to bend
  8. pop — music
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. pop — soda
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. key — in music
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. key — the most important part
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. field — farmland
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lean — thin
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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