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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 124 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. field — a subject
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. object — an aim
  7. row — to paddle
  8. net — in sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. row — a line
  12. season — of the year
  13. object — to protest
  14. race — a contest
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. race — humankind
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. object — a thing
  20. field — for sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. race — the arms race
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — to add flavour

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