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

Word bank: cell · foot · bay · pop · fall · present · mouse · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. foot — a measure
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pop — music
  6. fall — to drop
  7. field — a subject
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. field — farmland
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — to visit
  14. fall — the season
  15. present — there
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. cell — in biology
  18. present — a gift
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. cell — a phone
  22. present — the time now
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bay — a horse colour

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