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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  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. net — after costs
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. net — for catching
  4. tear — from crying
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. tear — from crying
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — a price
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. field — farmland
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rule — government
  17. board — to get on
  18. rule — a law
  19. field — for sport
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. field — a subject
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. tear — to rip
  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