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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. field — for sport
  3. ground — crushed
  4. lean — to bend
  5. mate — a friend
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pass — a permit
  9. mate — a partner
  10. ground — a position
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. field — a subject
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. race — a contest
  22. lean — thin
  23. field — farmland
  24. ground — the earth

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