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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 116 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. game — a match
  4. lean — to bend
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. chair — a leader
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. field — farmland
  16. saw — the tool
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. game — wild animals
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. lean — thin
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a hole

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