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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. pitch — completely
  3. row — a line
  4. net — in sport
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a grade
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. net — for catching
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. game — wild animals
  14. track — a song
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mark — a trace
  17. snap — to click
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. row — to paddle
  20. game — a match
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. net — after costs
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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