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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. cue — a hint
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. field — a subject
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bound — certain
  10. cue — for pool
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. content — the amount
  13. object — to protest
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bound — obliged
  17. object — a thing
  18. bat — the animal
  19. object — an aim
  20. cue — a signal
  21. content — happy
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — thin
  24. nail — for a hammer

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