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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. season — in sport
  3. mate — a friend
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. net — for catching
  8. cap — a lid
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. hand — in cards
  13. snap — to click
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. hand — help
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pitch — completely
  19. mate — to breed
  20. season — of the year
  21. mate — a partner
  22. net — in sport
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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