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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. field — farmland
  7. lean — thin
  8. wake — a trail
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. key — the most important part
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a match
  13. bound — tied together
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. field — for sport
  16. lean — to bend
  17. rock — music
  18. bound — certain
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. field — a subject
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — in music
  23. rock — a stone
  24. arm — part of the body

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