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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. net — in sport
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. firm — a company
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. net — for catching
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. firm — steady
  14. season — of the year
  15. firm — decided
  16. season — in sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. net — after costs
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. perch — the fish
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. season — to add flavour

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