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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. sharp — clever
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. season — in sport
  8. field — for sport
  9. net — in sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. land — a country
  15. field — a subject
  16. track — a path
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. track — to keep track
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. track — a song
  23. net — for catching
  24. season — of the year

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