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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — in sport
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bass — low music
  5. net — after costs
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. pop — music
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. spell — a short time
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. pit — in a race
  18. spell — letters
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. spell — magic
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. spring — the season
  24. date — the fruit

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