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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rock — a stone
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. net — for catching
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. pitch — completely
  8. net — in sport
  9. chest — a box
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. net — after costs
  13. foot — a measure
  14. chip — for betting
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rock — music
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. chip — to eat
  19. ball — a dance
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. wind — moving air
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wind — to turn a key

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