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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mate — a friend
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. field — a subject
  7. march — music
  8. prune — to trim
  9. net — in sport
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. field — farmland
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mine — for digging
  14. net — after costs
  15. mate — a partner
  16. field — for sport
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. pound — a weight
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. safe — a strongbox

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