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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pitch — completely
  3. ball — a dance
  4. track — to keep track
  5. ball — a great time
  6. root — of a plant
  7. land — a country
  8. land — ground
  9. present — there
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. present — a gift
  12. net — in sport
  13. root — of a word
  14. track — a song
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. land — to come down
  18. track — a path
  19. net — after costs
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. present — the time now
  24. root — the cause

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