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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — the earth
  5. swing — music
  6. foot — a measure
  7. can — a tin
  8. swing — in golf
  9. ground — crushed
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — to sink
  12. swing — to play on
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. can — to be able to
  17. field — for sport
  18. foot — part of the body

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