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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. field — farmland
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. lean — thin
  12. squash — the sport
  13. band — a ring
  14. key — the most important part
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. lean — to bend
  17. chip — for betting
  18. key — in music
  19. field — a subject
  20. chip — to eat
  21. squash — to crush
  22. field — for sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. band — a music group

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