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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. rest — what's left
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. object — a thing
  6. swing — music
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. fine — all right
  9. field — farmland
  10. rest — what's left
  11. swing — in golf
  12. game — a match
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. object — to protest
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. rest — a break
  18. object — an aim
  19. roll — a cake
  20. fine — high quality
  21. net — in sport
  22. game — wild animals
  23. swing — to play on
  24. game — a kind of play

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