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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 an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. field — a subject
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. field — for sport
  6. pound — a weight
  7. field — farmland
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. swing — music
  10. file — a line of people
  11. charge — a price
  12. cell — in biology
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. file — a tool
  15. cell — a phone
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. charge — electricity
  19. net — in sport
  20. charge — in control
  21. swing — in golf
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. file — a document
  24. net — after costs

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