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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. field — a subject
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. suit — in cards
  6. perch — the fish
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. lean — to bend
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. vault — a safe
  12. lean — thin
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — to tease
  15. field — for sport
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — hurry
  19. field — farmland
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. suit — clothes

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