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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. ball — a great time
  6. content — happy
  7. sharp — clever
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. field — farmland
  10. lean — to bend
  11. field — for sport
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. field — a subject
  15. spring — of water
  16. pass — a permit
  17. ball — a dance
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. spring — the season
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. lean — thin
  23. spring — a coil
  24. content — the amount

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