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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. pound — a weight
  3. cell — a phone
  4. staff — a stick
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. firm — steady
  7. cell — in biology
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. field — for sport
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. staff — employees
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. last — final
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. staff — employees
  19. firm — decided
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. field — a subject
  22. firm — a company
  23. roll — a cake
  24. pound — to hit hard

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