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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. tear — from crying
  3. field — for sport
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. tear — from crying
  9. foot — a measure
  10. pitch — completely
  11. field — a subject
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. present — there
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. present — the time now
  16. rush — hurry
  17. tear — to rip
  18. roll — a cake
  19. field — farmland
  20. roll — a list
  21. present — a gift
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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