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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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Word bank
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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 was locked up in a ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. net — after costs
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. field — a subject
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pitch — completely
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. root — of a plant
  12. field — for sport
  13. cell — in biology
  14. root — of a word
  15. field — farmland
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. net — for catching
  21. root — the cause
  22. kick — in football
  23. foot — a measure
  24. safe — out of danger

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