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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. net — for catching
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. key — in music
  7. net — after costs
  8. lie — to recline
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. key — the most important part
  11. file — a document
  12. key — for a lock
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bore — to drill
  15. dip — to sink
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. net — in sport
  19. pitch — completely
  20. file — a tool
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bore — to tire
  24. coach — a trainer

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