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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. field — a subject
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. field — for sport
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. field — farmland
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — thin
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wave — of the sea

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