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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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. field — a subject
  3. snap — to click
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bound — tied together
  8. track — a path
  9. net — for catching
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. track — a song
  12. field — for sport
  13. bound — certain
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. season — in sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bound — obliged
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. season — of the year

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