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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. net — for catching
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. firm — steady
  6. cold — not warm
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. clip — to cut
  9. net — after costs
  10. clip — for paper
  11. cold — an illness
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. field — for sport
  14. net — in sport
  15. firm — a company
  16. plane — a tool
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. field — farmland
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. clip — a video
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. firm — decided
  24. field — a subject

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