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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. dip — to sink
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. rest — what's left
  6. game — wild animals
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. shower — to wash
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. field — farmland
  12. game — a match
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. field — a subject
  17. shower — rain
  18. rest — what's left
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. lean — thin
  21. field — for sport
  22. rest — a break
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. fan — a supporter

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