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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. net — in sport
  3. cell — in biology
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rock — music
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. game — wild animals
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rock — a stone
  16. spell — letters
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. cell — a phone
  19. spell — magic
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. field — a subject
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. game — a match
  24. game — a kind of play

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