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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. fine — high quality
  5. net — for catching
  6. mug — a face
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fine — all right
  10. pitch — completely
  11. spell — magic
  12. net — after costs
  13. cell — a phone
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. mug — a cup
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. mug — to rob
  21. spell — letters
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stem — to come from
  24. spell — a short time

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