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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. field — for sport
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. foot — a measure
  6. field — farmland
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. object — to protest
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. mug — a face
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. object — a thing
  14. field — a subject
  15. sharp — clever
  16. lean — to bend
  17. scale — size or range
  18. lean — thin
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. scale — in music
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a cup
  24. object — an aim

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