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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 120 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bound — obliged
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. cap — a hat
  5. field — a subject
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. bound — certain
  9. cap — of ice
  10. field — for sport
  11. cap — a lid
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pit — in a race
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bound — tied together
  17. field — farmland
  18. pit — a hole

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