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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. toast — bread
  7. field — a subject
  8. foot — a measure
  9. field — for sport
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. chip — for betting
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. wind — moving air
  17. row — a line
  18. pitch — completely
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. field — farmland
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. chip — to eat

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