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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. prune — to trim
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. sharp — clever
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. lean — thin
  9. field — farmland
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — a skill
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. stand — to bear
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. court — for sport
  18. lean — to bend
  19. court — of law
  20. content — the amount
  21. court — of a king
  22. prune — to trim
  23. craft — boats
  24. sharp — with an edge

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