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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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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: trunk · pit · net · pound · cell · bore · rock · pitch

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. net — after costs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. cell — a phone
  5. net — in sport
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. rock — a stone
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. cell — in biology
  14. net — for catching
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — to drill
  19. pit — in a race
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. rock — music
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pit — a hole

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