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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. tube — a container
  4. field — a subject
  5. tube — the underground
  6. mug — to rob
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mug — a cup
  12. net — after costs
  13. field — for sport
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. season — of the year
  17. net — in sport
  18. mug — a face
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. saw — the tool
  22. net — for catching
  23. season — in sport
  24. saw — the tool

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