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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. sharp — clever
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. fall — to drop
  7. field — farmland
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bank — for money
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. lean — thin
  12. game — wild animals
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. field — for sport
  16. lean — to bend
  17. game — a match
  18. field — a subject
  19. fall — the season
  20. bank — of a river
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bass — low music
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bank — for money

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