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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. saw — the tool
  6. present — the time now
  7. land — to come down
  8. present — a gift
  9. land — ground
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. land — a country
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — to confront
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. present — there
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pitch — completely
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. field — a subject
  24. foot — a measure

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