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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 · can · wind · swing · pitch · rush · last · bat

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. can — a tin
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — the animal
  5. swing — music
  6. rush — hurry
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pitch — completely
  9. can — a tin
  10. net — in sport
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. net — after costs
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. net — for catching
  15. swing — in golf
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. last — to go on
  18. swing — to play on
  19. wind — moving air
  20. can — to be able to
  21. last — final
  22. wind — moving air
  23. last — finally
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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