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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. date — the fruit
  3. field — farmland
  4. key — in music
  5. pitch — completely
  6. field — for sport
  7. net — in sport
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. net — after costs
  12. field — a subject
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. key — the most important part
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. drill — the tool
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. key — for a lock
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. ball — a dance

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