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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pound — a weight
  3. field — a subject
  4. rest — a break
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. field — farmland
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — to eat
  9. rest — what's left
  10. season — of the year
  11. mug — a face
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. field — for sport
  14. foot — a measure
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. season — in sport
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a cup
  24. foot — the bottom

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