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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. net — for catching
  6. shower — to wash
  7. file — a document
  8. pitch — completely
  9. net — after costs
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. shower — rain
  13. game — wild animals
  14. file — a tool
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bound — certain
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. file — a line of people
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. game — a match
  23. bound — obliged
  24. game — a kind of play

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