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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. land — ground
  3. field — farmland
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. foot — a measure
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. last — to go on
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. last — final
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. roll — a list
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. pitch — completely
  21. field — for sport
  22. roll — a cake
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. last — finally

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