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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 120 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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. field — for sport
  3. file — a line of people
  4. wound — an injury
  5. swing — to play on
  6. file — a document
  7. stand — to bear
  8. swing — in golf
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. wound — an injury
  11. swing — music
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. lean — thin
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. game — a match
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. field — a subject
  18. lean — to bend
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. field — farmland
  21. file — a tool
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. game — wild animals

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