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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. drill — a practice
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. scale — size or range
  7. net — after costs
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. drill — the tool
  10. roll — a list
  11. hand — help
  12. roll — a cake
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. hand — in cards
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. scale — in music
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bank — for money
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bank — of a river
  22. drill — army training
  23. net — for catching
  24. bank — for money

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