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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 116 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pitch — completely
  4. field — farmland
  5. lean — thin
  6. game — a match
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. field — a subject
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — music
  15. rest — a break
  16. field — for sport
  17. game — wild animals
  18. lean — to bend
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. squash — to crush
  23. drill — a practice
  24. lean — to rest against

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