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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: season · net · pitch · hand · bore · chip · ball · present

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. hand — help
  3. net — after costs
  4. present — a gift
  5. bore — to drill
  6. present — the time now
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a great time
  12. net — for catching
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. present — there
  16. bore — to tire
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — for betting
  19. net — in sport
  20. chip — to eat
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. hand — part of the body

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