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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pitch — completely
  5. row — a line
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pit — a hole
  8. ground — a position
  9. net — after costs
  10. pit — in a race
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bound — certain
  13. tear — from crying
  14. net — in sport
  15. ground — crushed
  16. mate — to breed
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bound — tied together
  19. row — to paddle
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mate — a friend
  22. tear — to rip
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. mate — a partner

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