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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. present — the time now
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. staff — employees
  7. field — for sport
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pop — soda
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. field — farmland
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. present — there
  16. field — a subject
  17. pop — music
  18. present — a gift
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — an aim
  21. net — for catching
  22. object — a thing
  23. pop — to visit
  24. lie — an untruth

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