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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pop — music
  3. rash — a series
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. pop — to visit
  6. net — for catching
  7. pitch — completely
  8. suit — to fit
  9. last — finally
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. net — in sport
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a music group
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. last — to go on
  18. suit — clothes
  19. pop — soda
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. last — final
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. suit — in cards
  24. game — a match

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