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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. field — farmland
  4. land — to come down
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. field — a subject
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. land — a country
  13. track — a path
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. track — to keep track
  19. field — for sport
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. land — ground
  22. net — in sport
  23. track — a song
  24. fine — high quality

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