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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. field — farmland
  3. net — in sport
  4. firm — decided
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. firm — a company
  7. net — for catching
  8. track — to keep track
  9. firm — steady
  10. pit — a hole
  11. field — for sport
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pit — in a race
  14. field — a subject
  15. foot — a measure
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. net — after costs
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. track — a path
  23. wind — moving air
  24. foot — the bottom

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