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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. net — for catching
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. court — for sport
  10. cap — a hat
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. court — of a king
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. net — after costs
  17. cap — a lid
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pitch — completely
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. cap — of ice
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. court — of law

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