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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. spell — a short time
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bulb — for light
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. mate — a partner
  8. lean — thin
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — farmland
  14. land — to come down
  15. spell — magic
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. land — a country
  19. bulb — for light
  20. sharp — clever
  21. spell — letters
  22. field — for sport
  23. land — ground
  24. mate — to breed

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