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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. squash — the sport
  3. mug — a cup
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. club — a group
  7. board — a committee
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. field — a subject
  11. mug — a face
  12. board — to get on
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mug — to rob
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. lean — to bend
  17. field — for sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. lean — thin
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — for golf
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wave — of the sea

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