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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. lean — to bend
  3. key — the most important part
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. wind — moving air
  7. firm — steady
  8. field — a subject
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. key — for a lock
  13. lean — thin
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. season — of the year
  17. board — a committee
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. season — in sport
  20. firm — a company
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — in a road
  23. firm — decided
  24. key — in music

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