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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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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: pit · cabinet · ground · cold · hide · field · march · rest

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pit — a hole
  8. rest — what's left
  9. march — music
  10. field — for sport
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cold — not warm
  14. ground — the earth
  15. field — a subject
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. rest — a break
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cold — an illness
  20. ground — crushed
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. field — farmland

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