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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: lie · field · race · roll · pitcher · pound · net · spell

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  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. net — for catching
  3. roll — a cake
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. race — humankind
  6. net — after costs
  7. spell — letters
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. spell — magic
  12. roll — a list
  13. field — for sport
  14. lie — to recline
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. field — farmland
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. pound — a weight
  20. net — in sport
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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