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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. net — after costs
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. net — for catching
  8. fall — to drop
  9. season — in sport
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. fall — to drop
  12. season — of the year
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fall — the season
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. net — in sport
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — a weight
  24. field — farmland

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