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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. content — happy
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. field — for sport
  6. lean — thin
  7. rush — hurry
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lean — to bend
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. field — farmland
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. lie — to recline
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. field — a subject
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. content — the amount

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