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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. can — a tin
  3. pitch — completely
  4. last — final
  5. net — for catching
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. present — the time now
  8. wound — an injury
  9. present — a gift
  10. can — a tin
  11. last — to go on
  12. can — to be able to
  13. present — there
  14. wound — an injury
  15. net — in sport
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. last — finally
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. trunk — of a car

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