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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. can — a tin
  3. lean — thin
  4. fork — in a road
  5. can — to be able to
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. date — the fruit
  9. field — a subject
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. can — a tin
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. kick — in football
  21. lean — to bend
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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