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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. spell — letters
  5. squash — the sport
  6. spell — magic
  7. bat — the animal
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pop — soda
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a committee
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. squash — to crush
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pop — music
  24. stand — to bear

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