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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. present — there
  8. field — farmland
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mine — for digging
  11. present — a gift
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitch — completely
  15. present — the time now
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. fine — high quality
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. fine — a penalty

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