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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cue — for pool
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. march — the month
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. march — music
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. file — a document
  14. net — after costs
  15. bound — certain
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bound — tied together
  18. cue — a signal
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. file — a tool
  21. march — the month
  22. file — a line of people
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pitch — completely

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