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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: last · pitch · net · shower · season · bore · scale · bowl

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pitch — completely
  3. last — finally
  4. season — in sport
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bore — to drill
  8. last — to go on
  9. net — in sport
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. shower — to wash
  13. scale — in music
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. scale — size or range
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. last — final
  18. shower — rain
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. net — for catching
  23. season — of the year
  24. scale — for weighing

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