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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: foot · field · mouse · sharp · mine · wind · lie · cabinet

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. lie — to recline
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. foot — a measure
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. field — farmland
  19. mine — for digging
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. foot — 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