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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. field — a subject
  3. net — after costs
  4. squash — the sport
  5. present — there
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. present — a gift
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. object — a thing
  13. squash — to crush
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. net — in sport
  20. object — an aim
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. object — to protest
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. present — the time now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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