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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 120 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mine — for digging
  5. net — after costs
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to sink
  8. rest — a break
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pitch — completely
  12. staff — a stick
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rest — what's left
  17. staff — employees
  18. net — in sport
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. tear — to rip
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. staff — employees
  23. rash — a series
  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