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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 second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. capital — money
  3. field — a subject
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. cap — a hat
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bore — to tire
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. cap — a lid
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. foot — a measure
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. field — for sport
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. stand — to bear
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bore — to drill

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