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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. net — after costs
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. charge — in control
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. charge — electricity
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bear — the animal
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wake — a trail
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. saw — the tool
  14. net — for catching
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. net — in sport
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. saw — the tool
  20. game — a match
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. charge — a price
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pitch — completely

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