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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.

Make a worksheet

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: object · kid · hide · march · swing · field · fan · rash

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  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. object — a thing
  2. object — an aim
  3. kid — to tease
  4. swing — music
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. swing — in golf
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. march — the month
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. field — farmland
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. swing — to play on
  16. field — for sport
  17. rash — a series
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. field — a subject
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. object — to protest
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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