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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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. file — a tool
  2. mug — a face
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bulb — for light
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. file — a document
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bear — the animal
  16. lean — thin
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. kick — in football
  20. field — farmland
  21. bulb — for light
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. field — for sport
  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