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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. net — for catching
  3. land — a country
  4. mug — a face
  5. game — a match
  6. mug — to rob
  7. craft — a skill
  8. land — ground
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. craft — boats
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. net — in sport
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. net — after costs
  15. land — to come down
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sports field

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