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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. ground — a position
  6. lean — thin
  7. field — for sport
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bear — the animal
  10. lean — to bend
  11. charge — in control
  12. ground — the earth
  13. object — to protest
  14. ground — crushed
  15. object — a thing
  16. drill — a practice
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — farmland
  19. bass — low music
  20. charge — a price
  21. drill — army training
  22. charge — electricity
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bass — the instrument

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