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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. suit — clothes
  4. suit — in cards
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. present — a gift
  9. clip — for paper
  10. suit — to fit
  11. clip — to cut
  12. net — after costs
  13. present — there
  14. lie — to recline
  15. toast — bread
  16. bound — obliged
  17. net — in sport
  18. bound — tied together
  19. present — the time now
  20. net — for catching
  21. bound — certain
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. clip — a video

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