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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. field — a subject
  5. game — a match
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. toast — bread
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. lean — thin
  15. ground — the earth
  16. rash — a series
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. lean — to bend
  19. game — wild animals
  20. field — for sport
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. field — farmland
  24. ground — a position

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