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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. can — a tin
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. field — a subject
  8. can — a tin
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. prune — to trim
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. prune — to trim
  13. field — for sport
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. can — to be able to
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. hand — help
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. hand — in cards
  21. rest — a break
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. toast — bread
  24. bowl — to roll

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