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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. stand — to bear
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. track — a song
  8. net — after costs
  9. track — to keep track
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bat — the animal
  15. track — a path
  16. net — in sport
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bass — low music
  21. net — for catching
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pitch — completely
  24. stand — on your feet

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