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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fork — in a road
  4. band — a ring
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. snap — to click
  7. net — for catching
  8. field — a subject
  9. season — of the year
  10. fall — to drop
  11. band — a music group
  12. season — in sport
  13. field — for sport
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. net — after costs
  23. fall — the season
  24. field — farmland

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