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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. firm — a company
  4. cap — a hat
  5. tear — to rip
  6. firm — decided
  7. pitch — completely
  8. net — after costs
  9. tear — from crying
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — for betting
  15. tear — from crying
  16. net — in sport
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a lid
  19. net — for catching
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. firm — steady
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. spring — of water

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