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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 120 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: row · mouse · net · field · arm · present · game · ground

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. present — there
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. game — wild animals
  5. net — for catching
  6. field — farmland
  7. row — to paddle
  8. ground — crushed
  9. field — a subject
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. net — in sport
  13. field — for sport
  14. ground — the earth
  15. row — a line
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. present — a gift
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. present — the time now
  20. ground — a position
  21. net — after costs
  22. game — a match
  23. mouse — the animal
  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