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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. pit — in a race
  3. firm — a company
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. wound — an injury
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pit — a hole
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. spring — the season
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. field — farmland
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to bend
  17. wound — an injury
  18. spring — of water
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. field — a subject
  22. firm — decided
  23. field — for sport
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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