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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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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: content · net · stick · pitch · toast · snap · coach · rock

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. net — in sport
  3. rock — music
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rock — a stone
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. content — the amount
  14. snap — to click
  15. pitch — completely
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. content — happy
  18. toast — bread
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — a sports field

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