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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bass — the fish
  3. net — in sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. ball — a dance
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. field — farmland
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bass — low music
  10. current — electric
  11. ball — a great time
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. cell — a phone
  15. squash — to crush
  16. net — for catching
  17. current — of water
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. current — happening now
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. net — after costs
  24. wave — with your hand

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