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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. net — after costs
  3. rash — hasty
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. chest — a box
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — certain
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. chest — of your body
  10. field — a subject
  11. rash — a series
  12. net — for catching
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. board — to get on
  16. net — in sport
  17. object — a thing
  18. bound — obliged
  19. toast — bread
  20. chest — of your body
  21. object — to protest
  22. board — a committee
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for 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