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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. club — for dancing
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — a subject
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. rule — a law
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — letters
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. lean — thin
  13. field — for sport
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. deal — to handle
  17. dip — to sink
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rule — government
  20. club — for golf
  21. club — a group
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. spell — a short time
  24. nail — on a finger

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