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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. current — electric
  4. season — of the year
  5. current — happening now
  6. season — in sport
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. field — for sport
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. current — of water
  14. net — in sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. field — farmland
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. net — for catching
  23. stand — to bear
  24. safe — out of danger

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