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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bark — to shout
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. present — the time now
  7. lie — to recline
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. pitch — completely
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — there
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — a match
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. sharp — clever
  24. net — for catching

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