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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. cold — not warm
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. club — for dancing
  5. net — after costs
  6. pitch — completely
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — to fit
  10. net — in sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. cold — an illness
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. net — for catching
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. club — a group
  19. suit — clothes
  20. squash — the sport
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. rush — hurry
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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