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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. field — farmland
  4. lean — thin
  5. mug — a face
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. mug — to rob
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — for sport
  11. mug — a cup
  12. key — for a lock
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. lean — to bend
  15. season — in sport
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. scale — in music
  18. season — of the year
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. scale — size or range
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. key — in music
  23. key — the most important part
  24. lean — to rest against

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