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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.

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: root · drill · scale · net · deal · foot · file · field

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. root — of a plant
  5. foot — a measure
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. net — for catching
  8. field — for sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. file — a document
  11. root — the cause
  12. field — farmland
  13. file — a line of people
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. drill — army training
  16. file — a tool
  17. field — a subject
  18. root — of a word
  19. scale — in music
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. scale — size or range

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