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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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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: fall · field · key · arm · tube · pop · fine · firm

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. fall — the season
  4. key — the most important part
  5. firm — a company
  6. key — for a lock
  7. tube — the underground
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pop — soda
  10. firm — decided
  11. tube — a container
  12. pop — music
  13. fall — to drop
  14. firm — steady
  15. field — a subject
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. field — for sport
  18. key — in music
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — high quality
  21. pop — to visit
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. fine — a penalty

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