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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. stand — to bear
  10. lean — thin
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wound — an injury
  13. plane — a tool
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wound — an injury
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. foot — a measure
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. field — a subject
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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