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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. net — for catching
  2. club — a group
  3. spell — magic
  4. pit — in a race
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spell — a short time
  7. club — for dancing
  8. stock — shares
  9. club — for golf
  10. net — in sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. tear — from crying
  13. stock — goods
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pit — a hole
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. squash — the sport
  22. spell — letters
  23. net — after costs
  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