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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
468
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: chair · pitch · pitcher · shower · track · cell · net · dip

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. net — after costs
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. shower — rain
  6. track — a path
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cell — a phone
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. track — to keep track
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pitch — completely
  17. net — in sport
  18. dip — to sink
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. chair — a leader
  21. track — a song
  22. net — for catching
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. shower — to wash

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