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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. wound — an injury
  3. lean — thin
  4. wound — an injury
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. field — farmland
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — to visit
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pop — music
  14. field — a subject
  15. bat — the animal
  16. field — for sport
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bat — for baseball

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