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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. dip — to sink
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — to rob
  7. spell — letters
  8. kick — in football
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. spell — a short time
  11. foot — a measure
  12. drill — the tool
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bank — of a river
  15. spell — magic
  16. field — farmland
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bank — for money
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. drill — army training
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bank — for money
  23. field — a subject
  24. kick — a thrill

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