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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. net — after costs
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bat — the animal
  6. season — in sport
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. dip — to sink
  12. net — in sport
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bound — certain
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bound — tied together
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. date — the fruit

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