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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. net — for catching
  4. field — a subject
  5. net — after costs
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. field — farmland
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — clothes
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bat — the animal
  13. current — happening now
  14. field — for sport
  15. current — electric
  16. lean — to bend
  17. current — of water
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — thin
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. net — in sport
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. suit — to fit
  24. lie — to recline

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