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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. game — a match
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. cue — for pool
  9. net — in sport
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. cue — a hint
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. pitch — completely
  24. net — after costs

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