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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. pitch — completely
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. swing — music
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. lie — to recline
  8. cue — a signal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. season — of the year
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. swing — to play on
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. cue — a hint
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. net — in sport
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cue — for pool
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. swing — in golf

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