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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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. field — a subject
  6. tube — a container
  7. plane — a tool
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. kick — in football
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. ground — a position
  18. chair — a leader
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. tube — the underground
  21. mine — for digging
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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