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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: can · nail · foot · plane · net · sharp · race · field

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. net — for catching
  3. foot — a measure
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. net — after costs
  10. can — a tin
  11. race — the arms race
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. race — humankind
  17. sharp — clever
  18. can — to be able to
  19. net — in sport
  20. plane — a tool
  21. can — a tin
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. field — for sport
  24. nail — for a hammer

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