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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. field — farmland
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. chip — to eat
  6. field — a subject
  7. swing — music
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. can — a tin
  11. lean — to bend
  12. field — for sport
  13. swing — in golf
  14. rush — hurry
  15. can — a tin
  16. chip — for betting
  17. roll — a cake
  18. swing — to play on
  19. can — to be able to
  20. lean — thin
  21. pop — music
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — soda

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