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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 120 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 got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. land — a country
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. land — to come down
  6. field — a subject
  7. land — ground
  8. kid — child
  9. pass — a permit
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. kid — to tease
  12. mark — a trace
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. field — for sport
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. lean — to bend
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. lean — thin
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. rush — hurry
  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