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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — completely
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. firm — steady
  6. net — for catching
  7. roll — a list
  8. firm — a company
  9. wind — moving air
  10. roll — a cake
  11. net — after costs
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. firm — decided
  15. season — of the year
  16. bass — low music
  17. board — a committee
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bass — the fish
  20. wind — moving air
  21. season — in sport
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. board — to get on
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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