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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — a subject
  6. pop — soda
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. plane — a tool
  9. court — of a king
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. field — for sport
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. court — of law
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. court — for sport
  18. game — a match
  19. pop — to visit
  20. wake — a trail
  21. game — wild animals
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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