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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.

Words on the sheet
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: dip · net · pitch · trunk · season · present · file · arm

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. dip — to sink
  5. season — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a line of people
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. file — a document
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. season — of the year
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — a gift
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. net — after costs
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pitch — completely
  24. net — in sport

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