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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. spell — letters
  5. cap — a lid
  6. drill — army training
  7. spell — a short time
  8. toast — bread
  9. drill — a practice
  10. field — a subject
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lie — to recline
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. fine — high quality
  16. field — for sport
  17. fine — all right
  18. spell — magic
  19. field — farmland
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cap — a hat
  22. drill — the tool
  23. cap — of ice
  24. fine — a penalty

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