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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. field — farmland
  5. net — after costs
  6. content — happy
  7. bound — obliged
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. present — the time now
  10. field — a subject
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rush — hurry
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — there
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. field — for sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bound — tied together
  24. content — the amount

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