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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. lean — to bend
  4. deal — to handle
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. current — happening now
  10. shower — rain
  11. current — of water
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. stock — goods
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. spell — a short time
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stock — shares
  20. lean — thin
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. current — electric
  23. pitch — completely
  24. spell — letters

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