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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 · content · season · toast · pitch · bowl · tube · snap

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  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. tube — in a tire
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. tube — the underground
  4. snap — to click
  5. net — for catching
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. season — of the year
  8. content — happy
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. tube — a container
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. season — in sport
  15. pitch — completely
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. content — the amount
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. toast — bread
  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