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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: key · field · lie · fan · clip · row · hide · mark

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. key — the most important part
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. clip — for paper
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. field — farmland
  9. row — a line
  10. key — for a lock
  11. lie — to recline
  12. key — in music
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. clip — a video
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. field — a subject
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. field — for sport
  20. row — to paddle
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mark — a grade
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. clip — to cut

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