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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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. spell — letters
  2. net — for catching
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. file — a document
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bore — to tire
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — decided
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bulb — for light
  15. net — after costs
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. file — a tool
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bore — to drill
  22. firm — steady
  23. file — a line of people
  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