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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: nail · cabinet · content · fan · scale · foot · mark · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. foot — a measure
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. content — happy
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. field — for sport
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — size or range
  12. mark — a trace
  13. content — the amount
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. field — farmland
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mark — a grade
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. fan — a supporter

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