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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 slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. rush — hurry
  3. field — a subject
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. field — for sport
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. rock — music
  13. foot — a measure
  14. field — farmland
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. lean — thin
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. mate — a friend
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. racket — for tennis

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