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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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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: board · rock · racket · last · court · net · bank · pitch

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bank — of a river
  4. rock — a stone
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. pitch — completely
  7. last — to go on
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. net — in sport
  11. last — finally
  12. board — to get on
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. last — final
  18. rock — music
  19. court — of a king
  20. bank — for money
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. net — for catching
  24. bank — for money

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