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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. ball — a great time
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. ball — a dance
  6. lean — to bend
  7. field — for sport
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. field — farmland
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. drill — the tool
  16. lean — thin
  17. field — a subject
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — a trail
  20. drill — a practice
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bulb — for light
  23. drill — army training
  24. ball — a round shape

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