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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. pit — a hole
  3. net — after costs
  4. field — for sport
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bass — the fish
  8. face — to confront
  9. pit — in a race
  10. field — a subject
  11. net — in sport
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bass — low music
  17. mug — a face
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. net — for catching
  20. stem — to come from
  21. face — to point toward
  22. clip — a video
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — to rob

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