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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 120 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mark — a grade
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — completely
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. fall — to drop
  8. net — for catching
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. mark — a trace
  16. net — in sport
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. fall — to drop
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. ground — crushed
  24. fall — the season

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