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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. lean — to bend
  5. fine — all right
  6. field — a subject
  7. mate — a partner
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. court — of law
  10. field — for sport
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. row — to paddle
  14. fine — high quality
  15. pitch — completely
  16. court — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. lean — thin
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. mate — to breed
  23. row — a line
  24. court — of a king

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