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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bass — the fish
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — a thing
  8. net — for catching
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bass — low music
  13. pitch — completely
  14. object — an aim
  15. net — in sport
  16. pit — in a race
  17. net — after costs
  18. bass — the instrument

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