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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. wind — moving air
  5. field — farmland
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. suit — to fit
  8. field — for sport
  9. stock — goods
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. net — in sport
  12. rash — a series
  13. suit — in cards
  14. suit — clothes
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. net — after costs
  19. pitch — completely
  20. rash — hasty
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. stock — shares
  23. wind — moving air
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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