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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. net — after costs
  3. game — a match
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. firm — a company
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bass — the fish
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. spell — a short time
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. firm — decided
  14. firm — steady
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. spell — letters
  17. wax — to grow
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bass — low music
  21. tube — a container
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — completely
  24. spell — magic

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