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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. firm — a company
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. field — for sport
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — thin
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. net — in sport
  12. bat — the animal
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. firm — decided
  15. field — a subject
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. net — for catching
  19. firm — steady
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. field — farmland
  23. stand — to bear
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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