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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bat — the animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. court — of law
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. court — of a king
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. court — for sport
  22. vault — a safe
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. pop — music

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