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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pitch · net · mark · suit · cold · court · dip · safe

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. mark — a grade
  3. suit — to fit
  4. pitch — completely
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mark — a trace
  7. suit — clothes
  8. suit — in cards
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. court — for sport
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. net — in sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. net — for catching
  19. dip — to sink
  20. net — after costs
  21. court — of law
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. cold — an illness
  24. mark — to pay attention

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