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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 120 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  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. object — an aim
  2. land — to come down
  3. present — the time now
  4. field — farmland
  5. present — there
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. field — a subject
  8. object — to protest
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. wake — a trail
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. content — happy
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. chair — a leader
  16. content — the amount
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. land — ground
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. object — a thing
  21. foot — a measure
  22. land — a country
  23. present — a gift
  24. field — for sport

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