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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 120 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: march · racket · court · can · drill · pitch · safe · net

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. net — in sport
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. net — for catching
  6. court — for sport
  7. can — a tin
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. court — of a king
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. march — music
  17. net — after costs
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pitch — completely
  21. drill — army training
  22. court — of law
  23. can — to be able to
  24. racket — for tennis

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