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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. field — farmland
  10. object — a thing
  11. field — a subject
  12. object — an aim
  13. track — a path
  14. field — for sport
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. file — a document
  18. rest — what's left
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a tool
  24. net — after costs

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