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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.

Words on the sheet
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: cold · mate · deal · net · pop · pitch · rush · perch

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pop — soda
  7. perch — the fish
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitch — completely
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. mate — a friend
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. cold — not warm
  19. pop — music
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. rush — hurry
  23. net — in sport
  24. cold — the Cold War

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