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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mug — a face
  4. march — the month
  5. date — the fruit
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. pop — soda
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. net — after costs
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. march — the month
  15. pop — to visit
  16. mug — to rob
  17. pop — music
  18. march — music
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. pitch — completely
  22. mug — a cup
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. racket — for tennis

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