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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. dip — to sink
  3. foot — a measure
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. game — wild animals
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. suit — clothes
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mark — a trace
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — in cards
  14. mark — a grade
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. field — for sport
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. game — a match
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. field — a subject

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