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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · pitch · scale · snap · mark · net

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — a trace
  7. scale — in music
  8. ball — a dance
  9. scale — size or range
  10. net — for catching
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pitch — completely
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a great time
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. pitch — a sales talk

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