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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. pop — soda
  5. field — a subject
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. field — for sport
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. field — farmland
  15. scale — in music
  16. foot — a measure
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. pop — music
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. scale — size or range

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