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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. rest — what's left
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. net — for catching
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. rest — what's left
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bark — to shout
  13. toast — bread
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — completely
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — a tool
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. rest — a break

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