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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: net · fall · can · bear · spring · firm · game · pitch

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. firm — steady
  3. can — a tin
  4. net — in sport
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. game — a match
  9. fall — to drop
  10. can — a tin
  11. bear — the animal
  12. can — to be able to
  13. firm — decided
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bear — the animal
  16. spring — the season
  17. fall — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. pitch — completely
  21. net — after costs
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. firm — a company

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