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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. net — in sport
  3. spring — a coil
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. field — for sport
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. spell — magic
  9. spring — of water
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. net — after costs
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. board — a committee
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. spell — letters
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. spring — the season
  20. board — to get on
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. net — for catching
  24. rush — hurry

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