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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. field — for sport
  3. wind — moving air
  4. field — farmland
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. dip — to sink
  15. net — for catching
  16. field — a subject
  17. toast — bread
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — all right
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fine — high quality

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