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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. perch — the fish
  4. pitch — completely
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. net — in sport
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. fork — in a road
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. net — for catching
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — a gift
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. present — there
  23. deal — to handle
  24. sharp — clever

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