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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. net — after costs
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. net — for catching
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rest — a break
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. rock — music
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. net — in sport
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. pitch — completely
  24. cold — an illness

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