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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. lean — to bend
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. court — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. court — of a king
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. mark — a grade
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. field — farmland
  18. rush — hurry
  19. pass — a permit
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. court — of law
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. lean — thin
  24. field — for sport

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