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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. field — a subject
  3. net — for catching
  4. craft — a skill
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. net — in sport
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. field — for sport
  11. charge — a price
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. charge — in control
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fall — the season
  18. field — farmland
  19. fall — to drop
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. fall — to drop
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. craft — boats
  24. charge — electricity

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