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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. field — for sport
  3. wake — a trail
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. net — in sport
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. field — a subject
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. net — for catching
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. field — farmland
  24. cell — a phone

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