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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. field — for sport
  3. net — in sport
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. firm — decided
  7. deal — to handle
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. field — farmland
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. net — after costs
  12. cap — a hat
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. firm — steady
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. firm — a company
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. field — a subject
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. straw — dry grass

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