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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. mate — a friend
  3. field — farmland
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. lean — to bend
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. mate — a partner
  8. rash — a series
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. ball — a great time
  11. mate — to breed
  12. rash — hasty
  13. foot — a measure
  14. field — a subject
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. ball — a dance
  17. field — for sport
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. kid — child
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. kid — to tease
  24. deal — to handle

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