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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wake — a trail
  5. cell — in biology
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. field — farmland
  8. foot — a measure
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cell — a phone
  13. rash — hasty
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. field — a subject
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rash — a series
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. field — for sport
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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