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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  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 — for sport
  2. firm — steady
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — for digging
  5. field — farmland
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. firm — a company
  8. present — a gift
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. present — the time now
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. present — there
  17. suit — to fit
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. foot — a measure
  20. fall — to drop
  21. firm — decided
  22. suit — in cards
  23. suit — clothes
  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