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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: net · tube · lean · foot · pitch · scale · pop · sharp

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. tube — a container
  4. scale — size or range
  5. sharp — clever
  6. net — in sport
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — to visit
  10. foot — a measure
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — for catching
  13. lean — to bend
  14. tube — the underground
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. pitch — completely
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — thin
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. scale — in music

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