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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — a company
  5. snap — to click
  6. march — the month
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. suit — to fit
  9. march — the month
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. field — farmland
  13. suit — in cards
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. field — for sport
  17. suit — clothes
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. march — music
  21. net — in sport
  22. firm — steady
  23. object — an aim
  24. field — a subject

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