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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. field — a subject
  3. net — in sport
  4. pitch — completely
  5. net — after costs
  6. court — for sport
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. court — of a king
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. scale — in music
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. field — for sport
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. court — of law
  18. wind — moving air
  19. net — for catching
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. scale — size or range
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. field — farmland

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