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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · present · march · hide · pitch · bowl · game · tear

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. net — for catching
  5. tear — from crying
  6. march — the month
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. net — after costs
  9. present — a gift
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. game — wild animals
  14. march — music
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. net — in sport
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — a match
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pitch — completely
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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