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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 120 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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. net — in sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. land — to come down
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. land — a country
  9. pitch — completely
  10. content — happy
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. land — ground
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wake — a trail
  16. net — for catching
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. content — the amount
  23. net — after costs
  24. pound — for dogs

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