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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. wake — a trail
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. chip — to eat
  9. suit — to fit
  10. present — the time now
  11. net — for catching
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. present — a gift
  19. suit — in cards
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. chip — for betting
  22. suit — clothes
  23. present — there
  24. net — after costs

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