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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. fine — high quality
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. net — after costs
  8. season — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. deal — to handle
  11. season — of the year
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ball — a dance
  14. fine — all right
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. ball — a great time
  18. deal — an agreement

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