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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. suit — clothes
  5. net — for catching
  6. perch — the fish
  7. content — happy
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. net — after costs
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. suit — to fit
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. suit — in cards
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bass — low music
  19. pitch — completely
  20. snap — to click
  21. content — the amount
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bass — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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