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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: content · pitch · mouse · face · pitcher · net · mate · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. net — for catching
  5. mate — a partner
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. face — to confront
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. content — happy
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. net — after costs
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. content — the amount
  17. pitch — completely
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. saw — the tool
  23. net — in sport
  24. mate — to breed

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