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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. net — after costs
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. pop — soda
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. spell — a short time
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pop — music
  16. net — in sport
  17. pitch — completely
  18. net — for catching
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pop — to visit
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. mouse — for a computer

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