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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · net · arm · wave · cold · land · suit · firm

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. field — for sport
  4. firm — a company
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. land — ground
  8. suit — to fit
  9. field — a subject
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. firm — decided
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. firm — steady
  14. field — farmland
  15. land — to come down
  16. net — for catching
  17. suit — in cards
  18. land — a country
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. net — in sport
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. net — after costs
  24. suit — clothes

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