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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. net — after costs
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bass — low music
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. rash — a series
  8. net — for catching
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. net — in sport
  11. bass — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. clip — to cut
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. clip — a video
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pitch — a sports field

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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