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

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. lean — to bend
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. lean — thin
  8. scale — size or range
  9. content — happy
  10. field — a subject
  11. scale — in music
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. field — farmland
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. field — for sport
  17. mark — a trace
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. lie — to recline
  20. content — the amount
  21. game — a match
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mark — to pay attention

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