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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mug — to rob
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — completely
  5. net — in sport
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. drill — the tool
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — army training
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. mug — a cup
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. mug — a face
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. net — for catching
  18. date — the fruit

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