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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. roll — a list
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bear — the animal
  9. date — the fruit
  10. roll — a cake
  11. lean — thin
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. field — for sport
  14. sharp — clever
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. field — a subject
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bear — the animal
  20. field — farmland
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. lean — to bend
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. nail — for a hammer

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