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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — in sport
  5. cue — for pool
  6. charge — in control
  7. dip — to sink
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. rash — hasty
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. pitch — completely
  15. game — a match
  16. cue — a hint
  17. charge — a price
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. cue — a signal
  20. charge — electricity
  21. net — after costs
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. dip — to dunk

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