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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: field · fall · present · land · ground · toast · mate · object

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. land — ground
  3. ground — crushed
  4. field — a subject
  5. object — a thing
  6. ground — a position
  7. land — to come down
  8. field — for sport
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. fall — to drop
  11. object — to protest
  12. toast — bread
  13. ground — the earth
  14. land — a country
  15. fall — to drop
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — there
  18. field — farmland
  19. object — an aim
  20. present — the time now
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. fall — the season
  24. mate — a friend

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