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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. net — after costs
  3. march — the month
  4. land — ground
  5. field — farmland
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. field — a subject
  9. land — to come down
  10. suit — to fit
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. club — for golf
  13. lean — thin
  14. suit — in cards
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. net — for catching
  19. field — for sport
  20. club — a group
  21. land — a country
  22. club — for dancing
  23. pound — a weight
  24. net — in sport

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