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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bear — the animal
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bear — the animal
  9. ground — crushed
  10. stock — shares
  11. ground — the earth
  12. sharp — clever
  13. field — for sport
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to bend
  16. field — farmland
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. ball — a dance
  19. stock — goods
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. ground — a position
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. field — a subject
  24. sharp — with an edge

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