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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mate — a partner
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — bread
  5. mark — a grade
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. field — a subject
  9. rash — hasty
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. field — farmland
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. wind — moving air
  15. field — for sport
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. rash — a series
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to bend
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mark — a trace
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mate — a friend
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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