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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. net — for catching
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. chip — to eat
  7. lean — to bend
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitch — completely
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. chip — for betting
  16. lean — thin
  17. net — after costs
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bark — to shout
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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