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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 · bowl · land · pound · pit · staff · lie · last

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. staff — employees
  6. pit — a hole
  7. staff — a stick
  8. land — ground
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. last — to go on
  11. land — a country
  12. staff — employees
  13. last — finally
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pound — a weight
  16. field — farmland
  17. land — to come down
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. field — for sport
  22. lie — to recline
  23. last — final
  24. pound — to hit hard

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