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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: rash · club · bass · court · fine · net · pitch · land

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. net — in sport
  3. club — for golf
  4. net — after costs
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. club — a group
  8. court — of a king
  9. land — ground
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pitch — completely
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — all right
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bass — low music
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. club — for dancing
  19. land — a country
  20. land — to come down
  21. court — of law
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. court — for sport
  24. net — for catching

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