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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. field — for sport
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. key — in music
  5. chair — a leader
  6. key — for a lock
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — farmland
  12. key — the most important part
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bear — the animal
  18. lean — to bend
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. lean — thin
  24. bear — the animal

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