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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pit — in a race
  3. land — a country
  4. field — for sport
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. pit — a hole
  7. net — for catching
  8. foot — a measure
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pound — a weight
  11. land — to come down
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. tube — the underground
  15. field — farmland
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. scale — in music
  18. net — in sport
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. tube — a container
  22. field — a subject
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. net — after costs

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