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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: mark · bowl · net · cabinet · rash · pitch · fall · bat

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. net — for catching
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rash — a series
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pitch — completely
  13. fall — the season
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. net — after costs
  19. bat — the animal
  20. rash — hasty
  21. net — in sport
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — a football final

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