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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — in sport
  3. root — of a word
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. net — for catching
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bass — the fish
  10. root — of a plant
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. root — the cause
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. cap — a lid
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. mate — to breed
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — low music
  21. mate — a partner
  22. scale — in music
  23. pitch — completely
  24. cap — a hat

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