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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: deal · jam · ground · net · pitch · fine · racket · swing

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. net — in sport
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. ground — a position
  7. swing — to play on
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. deal — to handle
  11. fine — high quality
  12. pitch — completely
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — music
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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