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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  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. net — after costs
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bass — low music
  6. pitch — completely
  7. ball — a great time
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. clip — a video
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. net — in sport
  17. bass — the fish
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. clip — for paper
  21. ball — a dance
  22. net — for catching
  23. clip — to cut
  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