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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. object — a thing
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. field — a subject
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. rest — a break
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. ball — a dance
  12. field — for sport
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. ball — a great time
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. court — of law
  20. rest — what's left
  21. object — an aim
  22. rest — what's left
  23. field — farmland
  24. object — to protest

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