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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. net — for catching
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. net — in sport
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. press — to push
  11. net — after costs
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a trace
  16. scale — in music
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. mark — a grade
  19. press — a publisher
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. press — newspapers
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. scale — size or range

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