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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. cap — of ice
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. present — a gift
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. cap — a hat
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. present — there
  12. mark — a trace
  13. key — for a lock
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. key — in music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. present — the time now
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. lean — thin
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mark — a grade
  22. field — farmland
  23. cap — a lid
  24. lean — to rest against

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