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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mark — a grade
  5. field — farmland
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. fall — to drop
  8. field — for sport
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. field — a subject
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. net — for catching
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — a weight
  17. net — after costs
  18. rock — a stone
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. net — in sport
  21. fall — the season
  22. roll — a list
  23. mark — a trace
  24. rock — music

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