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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: prune · ball · land · season · pitch · net · coach · hide

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. ball — a great time
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. land — a country
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. net — in sport
  11. land — to come down
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. net — after costs
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. ball — a dance
  19. pitch — completely
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. land — ground
  24. net — for catching

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