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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. lean — to bend
  3. cap — of ice
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. cell — in biology
  6. field — for sport
  7. cap — a lid
  8. field — farmland
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pound — a weight
  11. lean — thin
  12. suit — in cards
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — happy
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. suit — clothes
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. cap — a hat
  21. content — the amount
  22. suit — to fit
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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