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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. season — in sport
  5. mate — a friend
  6. board — to get on
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. prune — to trim
  9. field — farmland
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. mate — a partner
  12. season — of the year
  13. prune — to trim
  14. field — a subject
  15. board — a committee
  16. mate — to breed
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. net — in sport

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