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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. snap — to click
  3. field — a subject
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. field — farmland
  6. lean — thin
  7. spell — letters
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. lean — to bend
  10. firm — a company
  11. content — happy
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. pound — a weight
  16. firm — steady
  17. content — the amount
  18. spell — magic
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. field — for sport
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. firm — decided

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