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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. lean — to bend
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. content — the amount
  5. net — after costs
  6. bore — to tire
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. bore — to drill
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. pitch — completely
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. lean — thin
  15. rock — music
  16. band — a music group
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — happy
  19. band — a ring
  20. rock — a stone
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. cap — a hat
  24. net — for catching

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