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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. drill — army training
  3. field — a subject
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. present — a gift
  7. foot — a measure
  8. present — there
  9. rest — a break
  10. key — for a lock
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. mine — for digging
  13. field — farmland
  14. content — happy
  15. rest — what's left
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. drill — the tool
  18. key — in music
  19. field — for sport
  20. drill — a practice
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. content — the amount
  23. rest — what's left
  24. key — the most important part

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