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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. mug — to rob
  5. pit — in a race
  6. fall — to drop
  7. last — finally
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a grade
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bass — the fish
  13. mug — a face
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. net — in sport
  17. mug — a cup
  18. last — final
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — low music
  22. last — to go on
  23. fall — the season
  24. coach — a trainer

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