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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: object · pitch · fan · leaves · bowl · track · mine · net

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. track — to keep track
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. track — a path
  9. track — a song
  10. pitch — completely
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. object — an aim
  15. object — to protest
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. net — for catching
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. mine — an explosive

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