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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: field · pop · chair · ruler · foot · drill · object · pit

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. object — to protest
  3. field — farmland
  4. drill — army training
  5. foot — a measure
  6. field — a subject
  7. chair — a leader
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. object — a thing
  10. object — an aim
  11. pop — music
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. pit — in a race
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pit — a hole
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. pop — to visit
  24. field — for sport

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