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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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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: pitch · cell · foot · bank · ground · fine · board · net

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. net — after costs
  3. fine — high quality
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. foot — a measure
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fine — all right
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. pitch — completely
  16. board — a committee
  17. ground — the earth
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. ground — a position
  21. board — to get on
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bank — for money
  24. pitch — a sports field

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