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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mug — to rob
  3. pitch — completely
  4. stand — to bear
  5. fall — to drop
  6. net — for catching
  7. track — a song
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. march — music
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. mug — a cup
  12. march — the month
  13. track — a path
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. mug — a face
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. net — in sport
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. fall — the season
  22. track — to keep track
  23. fall — to drop
  24. march — the month

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