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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 120 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  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. field — for sport
  2. firm — decided
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. content — happy
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. degree — from a university
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. field — farmland
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lie — to recline
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. content — the amount
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. firm — steady
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. firm — a company
  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