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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. pit — a hole
  3. net — after costs
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. deal — to handle
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a trace
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. net — for catching
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. shower — rain
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. mark — a grade
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. pit — in a race

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