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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. net — after costs
  3. tube — a container
  4. net — in sport
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for golf
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pitch — completely
  13. net — for catching
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. kick — in football
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. tube — the underground
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. court — of law
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  24. club — for dancing

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