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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mate — to breed
  4. field — for sport
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. field — farmland
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. mate — a partner
  11. lean — thin
  12. mate — a friend
  13. swing — in golf
  14. lean — to bend
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. net — after costs
  17. swing — to play on
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. field — a subject
  20. net — in sport
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. swing — music
  24. hide — to keep secret

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