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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. file — a line of people
  3. net — after costs
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pass — a permit
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. field — a subject
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. wound — an injury
  12. net — for catching
  13. file — a tool
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. staff — employees
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. staff — employees
  18. field — farmland
  19. staff — a stick
  20. file — a document
  21. wound — an injury
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. net — in sport
  24. sharp — exactly

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