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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. capital — money
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. suit — to fit
  5. suit — clothes
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. rash — a series
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. file — a document
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rash — hasty
  16. suit — in cards
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. capital — a city
  24. rash — on the skin

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