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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. field — for sport
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. field — farmland
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. march — the month
  7. rest — what's left
  8. field — a subject
  9. rest — a break
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. march — music
  13. lean — to bend
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lean — thin
  20. saw — the tool
  21. ball — a great time
  22. saw — the tool
  23. march — the month
  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