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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. field — a subject
  3. suit — clothes
  4. club — for dancing
  5. suit — in cards
  6. bore — to tire
  7. wind — moving air
  8. club — for golf
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. court — for sport
  12. lean — thin
  13. wind — moving air
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. club — a group
  16. court — of law
  17. lean — to bend
  18. suit — to fit
  19. fine — all right
  20. bore — to drill
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. court — of a king
  24. bore — gave birth

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