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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. net — after costs
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. capital — a city
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cell — in biology
  10. field — for sport
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. capital — money
  13. cell — a phone
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. field — farmland
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. net — in sport
  21. row — to paddle
  22. field — a subject
  23. net — for catching
  24. leaves — to go away

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