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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. field — for sport
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. firm — decided
  6. mate — a friend
  7. band — a ring
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. chair — a leader
  10. firm — a company
  11. last — to go on
  12. band — a music group
  13. last — final
  14. fine — all right
  15. field — farmland
  16. firm — steady
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. field — a subject
  19. fine — high quality
  20. mate — a partner
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. last — finally
  24. mate — to breed

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