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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. net — for catching
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. net — after costs
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. sharp — clever
  12. pop — music
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. net — in sport
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. pop — soda
  17. charge — a price
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. charge — in control
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bat — the animal
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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