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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. can — a tin
  4. bound — certain
  5. field — a subject
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. net — for catching
  8. field — farmland
  9. bound — tied together
  10. can — a tin
  11. sharp — clever
  12. field — for sport
  13. bound — obliged
  14. net — in sport
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. net — after costs
  17. stand — to bear
  18. sharp — exactly

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