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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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 — for catching
  2. net — in sport
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pound — a weight
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. current — of water
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. squash — to crush
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. squash — the sport
  16. scale — in music
  17. pitch — completely
  18. current — electric
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. scale — size or range
  21. net — after costs
  22. current — happening now
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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