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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. court — for sport
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. current — happening now
  7. bass — the fish
  8. net — after costs
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bass — low music
  17. court — of a king
  18. current — electric
  19. net — in sport
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. net — for catching
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. current — of water

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