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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: foot · stick · key · pop · row · hand · field · jam

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. field — farmland
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. field — a subject
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. field — for sport
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — for a lock
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pop — to visit
  13. key — in music
  14. row — to paddle
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. hand — help
  21. pop — music
  22. foot — a measure
  23. pop — soda
  24. row — a line

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