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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: mug · bowl · net · tube · pitch · snap · hide · club

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pitch — completely
  4. net — after costs
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. net — in sport
  7. tube — a container
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. snap — to click
  18. club — for golf
  19. net — for catching
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. club — a group
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a face

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