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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. can — to be able to
  6. net — in sport
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. season — of the year
  10. field — farmland
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a committee
  13. can — a tin
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. season — in sport
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. can — a tin
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. wax — to grow
  24. stand — to bear

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