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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
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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: game · wave · net · pitch · fan · bay · wake · last

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. net — for catching
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. last — finally
  8. pitch — completely
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. net — in sport
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. net — after costs
  18. game — a match
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. last — final
  23. last — to go on
  24. wave — of the sea

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