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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. wound — an injury
  3. club — for dancing
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. field — for sport
  7. ground — the earth
  8. field — a subject
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. club — a group
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. last — final
  13. charge — in control
  14. wound — an injury
  15. charge — electricity
  16. ground — a position
  17. club — for golf
  18. lean — thin
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. field — farmland
  21. charge — a price
  22. last — finally
  23. ground — crushed
  24. last — to go on

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