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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 120 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: season · net · perch · pitch · cue · kick · fork · plane

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pitch — completely
  4. net — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. kick — in football
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. net — after costs
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. cue — for pool
  17. plane — a tool
  18. cue — a signal
  19. net — for catching
  20. cue — a hint
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fork — in a road
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. plane — an aircraft

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