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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. clip — a video
  3. season — of the year
  4. pitch — completely
  5. firm — decided
  6. net — in sport
  7. season — in sport
  8. firm — steady
  9. field — farmland
  10. firm — a company
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. mug — a face
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. mug — to rob
  15. clip — to cut
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. toast — bread
  20. clip — for paper
  21. net — after costs
  22. mug — a cup
  23. net — for catching
  24. field — for sport

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