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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — a phone
  4. drill — the tool
  5. chest — of your body
  6. net — for catching
  7. plane — a tool
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. field — farmland
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. field — for sport
  13. foot — a measure
  14. net — after costs
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. drill — army training
  17. field — a subject
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. fine — high quality
  21. net — in sport
  22. chest — a box
  23. fine — all right
  24. plane — an aircraft

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