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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · lean · foot · field · sharp · scale · leaves · rock

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. field — farmland
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. field — a subject
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. scale — in music
  7. foot — a measure
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. sharp — clever
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. lean — to bend
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. lean — thin
  16. ball — a dance
  17. scale — size or range
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. ball — a great time
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — music
  24. field — for sport

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