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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. object — an aim
  5. mug — to rob
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. mug — a face
  10. swing — in golf
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — in sport
  15. swing — to play on
  16. object — to protest
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. net — for catching
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. object — a thing
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. swing — music
  23. mug — a cup
  24. pitch — completely

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