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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: pitch · club · dip · content · net · perch · snap · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — completely
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. club — for golf
  7. net — in sport
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. content — the amount
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. club — a group
  15. snap — to click
  16. content — happy
  17. net — after costs
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. dip — to sink
  22. net — for catching
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. perch — for a bird

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