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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. field — for sport
  3. object — to protest
  4. field — a subject
  5. file — a document
  6. object — an aim
  7. file — a tool
  8. rest — what's left
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. file — a line of people
  12. field — farmland
  13. net — after costs
  14. rest — what's left
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rest — a break
  17. object — a thing
  18. net — for catching

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