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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 120 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. lean — thin
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. lean — to bend
  5. kid — to tease
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. mate — a partner
  9. court — of a king
  10. firm — decided
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. firm — steady
  13. firm — a company
  14. mate — a friend
  15. staff — employees
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. court — of law
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. mate — to breed
  21. kid — child
  22. court — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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