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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. present — the time now
  3. net — after costs
  4. field — farmland
  5. bear — the animal
  6. present — there
  7. field — a subject
  8. bear — the animal
  9. hand — help
  10. root — of a plant
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. net — for catching
  15. charge — a price
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. field — for sport
  18. present — a gift
  19. root — of a word
  20. saw — the tool
  21. net — in sport
  22. charge — electricity
  23. root — the cause
  24. charge — in control

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