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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. object — an aim
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. fall — the season
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. mark — a trace
  7. pitch — completely
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. object — to protest
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. scale — size or range
  15. mark — a grade
  16. net — in sport
  17. branch — a division
  18. court — of law
  19. object — a thing
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of a king
  24. net — after costs

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