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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. field — farmland
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. key — the most important part
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. key — in music
  8. field — a subject
  9. rest — what's left
  10. key — for a lock
  11. rest — what's left
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. foot — a measure
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rest — a break
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mine — for digging
  19. rash — a series
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. toast — bread
  23. field — for sport
  24. mine — belonging to me

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