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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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 fruit stone
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bound — tied together
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bat — the animal
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bound — certain
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bound — obliged
  21. kick — in football
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. net — after costs
  24. pit — a hole

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