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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. field — a subject
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bear — the animal
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — in golf
  7. field — for sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. season — of the year
  10. field — farmland
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. net — for catching
  14. swing — music
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bear — the animal
  18. object — to protest
  19. object — an aim
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. season — in sport
  22. object — a thing
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. net — in 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