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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: key · pitch · net · pitcher · ball · fan · cue · prune

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. key — the most important part
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitch — completely
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. net — for catching
  11. ball — a great time
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. key — for a lock
  14. cue — a hint
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — in sport
  20. key — in music
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a signal
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitcher — a jug

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