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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. mug — a cup
  3. rest — what's left
  4. land — to come down
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rest — a break
  7. net — after costs
  8. field — farmland
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mug — a face
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. land — ground
  15. land — a country
  16. deal — to handle
  17. field — a subject
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. sharp — clever
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. mug — to rob
  24. fan — a supporter

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