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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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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: net · rock · fine · game · mate · cap · cue · field

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. game — a match
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cue — for pool
  7. rock — music
  8. field — for sport
  9. mate — a partner
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. fine — high quality
  12. field — a subject
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cap — a lid
  15. fine — all right
  16. rock — a stone
  17. net — in sport
  18. mate — to breed
  19. field — farmland
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cap — a hat
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. game — wild animals

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