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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 are growing on this ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — for sport
  3. present — the time now
  4. face — to confront
  5. lean — thin
  6. dip — to sink
  7. present — there
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. spell — letters
  13. present — a gift
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. lean — to bend
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. spell — magic
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wake — a trail
  20. spell — a short time
  21. face — to point toward
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. field — a subject
  24. mouse — the animal

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