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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 120 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. cue — a signal
  5. track — a song
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. field — a subject
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. track — a path
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. mug — a face
  13. rush — hurry
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. net — for catching
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. mug — a cup
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. cue — for pool
  24. bowl — a dish

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