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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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468
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: pitch · last · roll · net · nail · band · chip · racket

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. roll — a cake
  4. net — for catching
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. net — after costs
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. roll — a list
  12. pitch — completely
  13. net — in sport
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. last — to go on
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — for betting
  24. band — a rubber band

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