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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. net — after costs
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. toast — bread
  9. wound — an injury
  10. field — for sport
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pass — a permit
  13. field — a subject
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. lie — to recline
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. field — farmland
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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