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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: bay · ground · field · row · straw · roll · net · saw

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. ground — the earth
  3. net — in sport
  4. roll — a list
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. field — for sport
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. ground — a position
  12. net — for catching
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. field — farmland
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. net — after costs
  17. saw — the tool
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. field — a subject
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. roll — a cake
  23. ground — crushed
  24. row — to paddle

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