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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 · arm · bat · game · face · ball · nail · foot

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — the animal
  4. field — a subject
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — a measure
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — to point toward
  11. ball — a dance
  12. face — part of the head
  13. game — wild animals
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. game — a match
  24. arm — part of the body

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