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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — in sport
  3. pitch — completely
  4. spring — the season
  5. file — a line of people
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. spring — a coil
  13. net — after costs
  14. tear — from crying
  15. file — a document
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. file — a tool
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. spring — of water
  23. tube — a container
  24. cabinet — ministers

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