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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cue — a hint
  4. spell — letters
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. pop — soda
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. pop — to visit
  12. perch — the fish
  13. cue — a signal
  14. season — of the year
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cue — for pool
  17. spell — magic
  18. season — in sport
  19. spell — a short time
  20. field — a subject
  21. pop — music
  22. lean — thin
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. lean — to bend

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