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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 120 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mate — a friend
  3. present — there
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. net — after costs
  6. field — for sport
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rest — a break
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. chip — to eat
  11. plane — a tool
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. net — for catching
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — a gift
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a partner
  19. rest — what's left
  20. field — farmland
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. field — a subject
  24. chip — for betting

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