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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cell — in biology
  4. field — a subject
  5. present — the time now
  6. cell — a phone
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. capital — a city
  9. present — a gift
  10. board — a committee
  11. present — there
  12. net — after costs
  13. field — for sport
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. board — to get on
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. field — farmland
  24. net — for catching

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