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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 116 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. suit — in cards
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. wax — to grow
  6. suit — to fit
  7. mate — a partner
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a friend
  11. field — a subject
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. suit — clothes
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — the earth
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. pitch — completely
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. field — for sport
  23. ground — a position
  24. wax — for sculpting

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