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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. row — a line
  3. net — after costs
  4. mark — a grade
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pitch — completely
  7. mark — a trace
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. toast — bread
  10. net — in sport
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. net — for catching
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. row — to paddle
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. tear — to rip

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