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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 116 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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pit — in a race
  3. net — after costs
  4. spell — magic
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. net — for catching
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. plane — a tool
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. board — to get on
  12. spell — a short time
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. spell — letters
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pit — a hole
  22. net — in sport
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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