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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. tube — a container
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitch — completely
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. net — in sport
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. net — for catching
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. tube — the underground
  23. game — a match
  24. net — after costs

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