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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. net — after costs
  3. branch — a division
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. net — for catching
  6. field — farmland
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. field — a subject
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pass — a permit
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. swing — music
  16. net — in sport
  17. field — for sport
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wind — moving air
  24. swing — to play on

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