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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. pitch — completely
  3. net — after costs
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — to protest
  7. pop — soda
  8. spring — of water
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. spring — a coil
  13. saw — the tool
  14. dip — to sink
  15. spring — the season
  16. pop — to visit
  17. object — a thing
  18. net — for catching
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. pop — music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. net — in sport
  24. lie — to recline

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