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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: pitch · spell · wake · date · net · pound · staff · last

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. date — the fruit
  4. spell — a short time
  5. wake — a trail
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. staff — employees
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — final
  13. net — in sport
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. staff — employees
  16. net — for catching
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. staff — a stick
  19. spell — letters
  20. pound — a weight
  21. spell — magic
  22. last — finally
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wake — before a funeral

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