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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. season — of the year
  3. track — a path
  4. net — after costs
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. land — a country
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pitch — completely
  10. fine — all right
  11. swing — in golf
  12. land — to come down
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. net — in sport
  15. swing — music
  16. land — ground
  17. fine — high quality
  18. season — in sport
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. net — for catching
  22. swing — to play on
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a song

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