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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. net — after costs
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. net — for catching
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. ball — a dance
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. season — of the year
  12. bat — the animal
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. net — in sport
  21. season — in sport
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. fine — all right
  24. pitch — completely

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