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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. field — a subject
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. net — in sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. firm — a company
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. net — for catching
  9. race — humankind
  10. field — for sport
  11. foot — a measure
  12. firm — steady
  13. race — a contest
  14. firm — decided
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. bore — to tire
  17. charge — electricity
  18. race — the arms race
  19. capital — a city
  20. charge — in control
  21. capital — money
  22. charge — a price
  23. bore — to drill
  24. net — after costs

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