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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 116 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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. ground — a position
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. field — for sport
  6. saw — the tool
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. kid — child
  9. lie — to recline
  10. deal — to handle
  11. lean — thin
  12. field — a subject
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ground — the earth
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. lean — to bend
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. kid — to tease

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