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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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. field — farmland
  3. capital — a city
  4. club — for dancing
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. cue — a hint
  7. row — a line
  8. field — for sport
  9. row — to paddle
  10. club — for golf
  11. cue — a signal
  12. club — a group
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. craft — boats
  16. cue — for pool
  17. lean — to bend
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. field — a subject
  20. craft — a skill
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. fork — in a road
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. capital — money

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