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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: roll · bay · net · pitch · content · march · ball · saw

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pitch — completely
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — happy
  13. roll — a list
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. march — music
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. roll — a cake
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. ball — a great time
  24. net — in sport

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