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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. file — a document
  4. net — for catching
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. file — a tool
  8. field — for sport
  9. fine — high quality
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. net — in sport
  12. file — a line of people
  13. staff — employees
  14. field — a subject
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. net — after costs
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. toast — bread
  20. deal — to handle
  21. field — farmland
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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