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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  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. net — in sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. net — for catching
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. can — to be able to
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. spring — the season
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. spring — of water
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bowl — a dish
  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