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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. march — music
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rush — hurry
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. march — the month
  11. deal — to handle
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — farmland
  14. game — wild animals
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rest — a break
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. game — a match
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rest — what's left
  24. field — for sport

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