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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  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. field — farmland
  2. press — newspapers
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. press — a publisher
  7. sharp — clever
  8. vault — a safe
  9. field — a subject
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. lean — thin
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. lean — to bend
  14. wake — a trail
  15. field — for sport
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. press — to push
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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