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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. ball — a dance
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. season — of the year
  5. ball — a great time
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pound — a weight
  8. field — for sport
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. wound — an injury
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — farmland
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. lean — thin
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. season — in sport
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — to rest against

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