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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. ground — a position
  3. firm — steady
  4. ground — crushed
  5. net — in sport
  6. rock — a stone
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rock — music
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. firm — decided
  16. chest — of your body
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. squash — to crush
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. squash — the sport
  21. chest — a box
  22. firm — a company
  23. net — after costs
  24. ground — the earth

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