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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. net — after costs
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. chair — a leader
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — soda
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bulb — for light
  17. net — for catching
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. net — in sport
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. mine — for digging
  24. chair — a professorship

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