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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. mug — a cup
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. file — a document
  7. wake — a trail
  8. land — a country
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. land — ground
  11. file — a line of people
  12. pitch — completely
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bass — low music
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bass — the fish
  17. file — a tool
  18. mug — a face
  19. land — to come down
  20. foot — a measure
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. wake — before a funeral

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