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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  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 — for catching
  2. wind — moving air
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. cap — of ice
  5. season — in sport
  6. fall — to drop
  7. net — after costs
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. field — a subject
  10. cap — a lid
  11. season — of the year
  12. fall — the season
  13. field — for sport
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mate — a partner
  17. net — in sport
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mate — a friend
  21. lie — to recline
  22. mate — to breed
  23. wind — moving air
  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