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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — the time now
  3. field — farmland
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. field — a subject
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. present — a gift
  9. net — in sport
  10. ground — crushed
  11. net — after costs
  12. mug — a face
  13. pound — a weight
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. mug — to rob
  17. chair — a leader
  18. net — for catching
  19. ground — a position
  20. bass — the fish
  21. field — for sport
  22. mug — a cup
  23. bass — low music
  24. chair — a professorship

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