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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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468
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: file · kid · dip · pitch · game · net · cell · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. net — in sport
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pitch — completely
  8. game — wild animals
  9. net — for catching
  10. game — a match
  11. cell — a phone
  12. kid — child
  13. file — a line of people
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. ball — a great time
  17. file — a tool
  18. ball — a dance
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. file — a document
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. dip — to sink
  23. kid — to tease
  24. net — after costs

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