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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. lean — thin
  3. roll — a cake
  4. swing — in golf
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — for light
  9. key — in music
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. roll — a list
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. field — farmland
  15. swing — music
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. swing — to play on
  21. pass — a permit
  22. field — for sport
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bulb — of a plant

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