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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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. field — for sport
  5. foot — a measure
  6. staff — a stick
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. game — a match
  9. staff — employees
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. key — the most important part
  22. field — farmland
  23. staff — employees
  24. field — a subject

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