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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. land — a country
  3. lean — thin
  4. degree — an amount
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. land — to come down
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. land — ground
  12. lean — to bend
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. roll — a cake
  15. field — for sport
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. degree — from a university
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. degree — temperature
  21. field — a subject
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a list
  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