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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. tear — from crying
  5. field — farmland
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. field — a subject
  10. bound — tied together
  11. pitch — completely
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. tear — to rip
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bound — certain
  18. field — for sport
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bound — obliged
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. foot — part of the body

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