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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. stem — to come from
  5. toast — bread
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. field — farmland
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. key — in music
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. lean — to bend
  13. field — a subject
  14. lean — thin
  15. court — of a king
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. court — of law
  20. key — the most important part
  21. snap — to click
  22. court — for sport
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. key — for a lock

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