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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: net · court · pitch · stem · tube · rush · march · cue

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rush — hurry
  3. tube — a container
  4. net — for catching
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cue — for pool
  8. court — of a king
  9. net — after costs
  10. cue — a signal
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. tube — the underground
  13. march — the month
  14. pitch — completely
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. cue — a hint
  20. march — music
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. march — the month

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