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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. file — a document
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. field — for sport
  8. can — a tin
  9. wound — an injury
  10. club — for golf
  11. field — farmland
  12. can — to be able to
  13. drill — the tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. wound — an injury
  18. can — a tin
  19. field — a subject
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. foot — a measure
  23. file — a tool
  24. lie — to recline

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