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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: trunk · foot · deal · key · mark · field · clip · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. field — for sport
  3. foot — a measure
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. key — in music
  6. clip — a video
  7. mark — a trace
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. field — a subject
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. mark — a grade
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. field — farmland
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. key — the most important part
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. deal — to handle
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — to cut
  24. key — for a lock

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