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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. squash — to crush
  7. drill — army training
  8. rest — a break
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. drill — the tool
  12. ground — a position
  13. pitch — completely
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. ground — the earth
  18. net — for catching
  19. drill — a practice
  20. ground — crushed
  21. snap — to click
  22. rest — what's left
  23. squash — the sport
  24. net — in sport

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