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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. field — for sport
  4. lean — to bend
  5. pitch — completely
  6. content — the amount
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. saw — the tool
  9. march — the month
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. march — the month
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. content — happy
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. lean — thin
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. march — music
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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