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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 116 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. object — to protest
  6. net — after costs
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. object — an aim
  9. net — in sport
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. object — a thing
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. field — for sport
  17. file — a tool
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. field — farmland
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. scale — in music
  23. wax — to grow
  24. net — for catching

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