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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.

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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: hide · lean · cabinet · sharp · field · court · arm · roll

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. lean — to bend
  7. field — farmland
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. field — for sport
  10. lean — thin
  11. court — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — a list
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. court — of a king
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. sharp — clever
  21. court — of law
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. hide — animal skin

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