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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. 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. wound — an injury
  3. field — for sport
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. bound — certain
  7. bore — to tire
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. field — a subject
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bore — to drill
  15. net — after costs
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. field — farmland
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. wound — an injury
  24. 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