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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. suit — in cards
  3. rock — music
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. rash — hasty
  7. net — in sport
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. pit — in a race
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. suit — to fit
  12. season — of the year
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitch — completely
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rash — a series
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. net — after costs
  23. suit — clothes
  24. season — in sport

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