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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. prune — to trim
  3. track — a path
  4. pass — a permit
  5. field — a subject
  6. net — in sport
  7. prune — to trim
  8. net — for catching
  9. dip — to sink
  10. track — to keep track
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. track — a song
  14. cap — of ice
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. cap — a lid
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. cap — a hat
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. pass — to succeed

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