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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. mug — a cup
  3. wake — a trail
  4. charge — in control
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bat — the animal
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. field — for sport
  12. charge — a price
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. lean — thin
  16. field — a subject
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. field — farmland
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. charge — electricity
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bat — for baseball

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