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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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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: pit · club · jam · pound · bass · net · pitch · fall

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. club — for golf
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. club — a group
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. net — in sport
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pitch — completely
  17. club — for dancing
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — in a race
  22. net — for catching
  23. fall — to drop
  24. jam — a tight spot

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