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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. last — to go on
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wind — moving air
  5. field — farmland
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bank — for money
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. pitch — completely
  13. field — a subject
  14. bank — for money
  15. fine — all right
  16. last — final
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. last — finally
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. net — after costs
  21. field — for sport
  22. wind — moving air
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. bank — of a river

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