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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. rest — a break
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pit — in a race
  7. field — farmland
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pop — soda
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. fall — the season
  17. pit — a hole
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rash — a series
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pop — music

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