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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. content — the amount
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. can — to be able to
  8. field — for sport
  9. club — a group
  10. field — a subject
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. can — a tin
  14. mine — for digging
  15. club — for dancing
  16. lean — thin
  17. club — for golf
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. content — happy
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fall — the season
  22. fine — all right
  23. field — farmland
  24. fall — to drop

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