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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: toast · bass · field · foot · rash · hide · bear · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. rash — a series
  3. bear — the animal
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. toast — bread
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bass — low music
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. field — farmland
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. fine — all right
  13. bass — the fish
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. field — for sport
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. field — a subject
  24. hide — to keep secret

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