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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. clip — a video
  4. row — to paddle
  5. stand — to bear
  6. row — a line
  7. rest — a break
  8. key — for a lock
  9. clip — to cut
  10. field — farmland
  11. last — final
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. key — in music
  14. field — a subject
  15. foot — a measure
  16. rest — what's left
  17. last — finally
  18. key — the most important part
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. rest — what's left
  22. last — to go on
  23. field — for sport
  24. clip — for paper

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