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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. net — for catching
  7. row — a line
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. track — a song
  11. net — in sport
  12. ground — a position
  13. pitch — completely
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. net — after costs
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. track — a path
  21. row — to paddle
  22. ground — the earth
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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