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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. chest — of your body
  4. suit — clothes
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. suit — to fit
  8. saw — the tool
  9. net — in sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. chest — a box
  13. field — a subject
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. squash — the sport
  16. toast — bread
  17. field — farmland
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. chest — of your body
  20. saw — the tool
  21. suit — in cards
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. squash — the vegetable

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