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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. season — in sport
  3. club — for dancing
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. field — farmland
  8. club — for golf
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. club — a group
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. net — after costs
  16. pop — soda
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. pop — music
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. pop — to visit
  22. net — in sport
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. saw — the tool

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