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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a hole
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. field — for sport
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. net — after costs
  13. game — wild animals
  14. field — farmland
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. perch — the fish
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. net — in sport
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. field — a subject
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. game — a match

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