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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to click
  5. degree — temperature
  6. stock — goods
  7. field — farmland
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cue — a signal
  16. field — for sport
  17. rock — music
  18. lie — to recline
  19. degree — an amount
  20. rock — a stone
  21. lean — thin
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. degree — from a university
  24. field — a subject

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