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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. ground — the earth
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. field — farmland
  7. swing — music
  8. bound — tied together
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. swing — in golf
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ground — a position
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bound — obliged
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to bend
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. ground — crushed
  20. field — for sport
  21. swing — to play on
  22. field — a subject
  23. bound — certain
  24. fall — the season

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