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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: hide · sharp · field · content · mine · season · race · kick

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. field — farmland
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. kick — in football
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. race — a contest
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. field — for sport
  12. mine — for digging
  13. season — of the year
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. season — in sport
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. race — the arms race
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. content — the amount
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. content — happy
  24. field — a subject

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