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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pop — music
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. net — after costs
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. swing — music
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitch — completely
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pop — soda
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. track — to keep track
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. swing — to play on
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — to shout
  24. pop — to visit

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