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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. row — a line
  3. net — for catching
  4. wound — an injury
  5. net — after costs
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. scale — size or range
  8. charge — in control
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. field — for sport
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. charge — a price
  13. net — in sport
  14. scale — in music
  15. field — a subject
  16. wound — an injury
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. row — to paddle
  19. rush — hurry
  20. charge — electricity
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. field — farmland

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