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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — for sport
  3. lean — to bend
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. staff — employees
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. staff — a stick
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. stand — to bear
  13. lean — thin
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. staff — employees
  16. sharp — clever
  17. field — a subject
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. racket — a loud noise

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