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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. field — a subject
  4. date — the fruit
  5. field — for sport
  6. bear — the animal
  7. lean — to bend
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. lean — thin
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rash — a series
  15. field — farmland
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bear — the animal
  18. lean — to rest against

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