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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. field — a subject
  5. lean — to bend
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. craft — a skill
  8. cap — a hat
  9. lean — thin
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. field — farmland
  14. craft — boats
  15. roll — a list
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. roll — a cake
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. cap — a lid
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. cap — of ice

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