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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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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: racket · march · kid · net · arm · vault · present · pitch

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. vault — a safe
  5. march — music
  6. present — the time now
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. kid — to tease
  10. present — there
  11. kid — child
  12. present — a gift
  13. march — the month
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. net — for catching
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. net — after costs
  20. march — the month
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. net — in sport

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