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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. track — a song
  4. lean — thin
  5. land — to come down
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. land — a country
  8. suit — clothes
  9. bass — the fish
  10. kid — child
  11. suit — in cards
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. track — a path
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. field — farmland
  17. kid — to tease
  18. field — a subject
  19. land — ground
  20. field — for sport
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. lean — to bend
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. track — to keep track

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