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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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. pop — music
  4. field — for sport
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. pop — to visit
  7. field — farmland
  8. pit — in a race
  9. vault — a safe
  10. club — for golf
  11. net — for catching
  12. pit — a hole
  13. net — in sport
  14. march — the month
  15. club — for dancing
  16. pop — soda
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. club — a group
  19. march — the month
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. perch — the fish
  24. march — music

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