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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 120 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mug — to rob
  7. charge — in control
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. net — for catching
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. charge — a price
  13. march — music
  14. pitch — completely
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. mug — a face
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. march — the month
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. net — in sport
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. march — the month
  23. mug — a cup
  24. net — after costs

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