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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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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: rash · field · hide · sharp · game · firm · swing · stand

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. game — a match
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. swing — to play on
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. firm — decided
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. field — farmland
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. field — a subject
  17. sharp — clever
  18. firm — a company
  19. field — for sport
  20. swing — music
  21. game — wild animals
  22. stand — to bear
  23. firm — steady
  24. swing — in golf

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