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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. last — to go on
  3. foot — a measure
  4. chip — for betting
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. field — for sport
  12. fall — to drop
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. field — a subject
  15. chip — to eat
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. can — a tin
  18. last — final
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. fall — the season
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. last — finally
  24. march — the month

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