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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. suit — to fit
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. lean — thin
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pitch — completely
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lean — to bend
  12. field — for sport
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. field — farmland
  16. rash — a series
  17. suit — clothes
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. snap — to click
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. suit — in cards
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. field — a subject

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