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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bank — of a river
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — of water
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. kick — in football
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. foot — a measure
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bank — for money
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. row — to paddle
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bank — for money
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. field — a subject
  22. row — a line
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. ball — a round shape

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