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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — a cup
  3. spell — magic
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. object — a thing
  6. object — an aim
  7. net — in sport
  8. spring — the season
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. field — a subject
  13. spell — a short time
  14. net — after costs
  15. field — for sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. spring — of water
  18. field — farmland
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pitch — completely
  21. object — to protest
  22. spell — letters
  23. date — the fruit
  24. mug — to rob

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