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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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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: last · wind · pitch · net · mark · cue · arm · bound

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mark — a grade
  3. last — finally
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bound — obliged
  6. pitch — completely
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. cue — a hint
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. last — to go on
  12. net — for catching
  13. cue — for pool
  14. net — in sport
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bound — tied together
  17. last — final
  18. net — after costs
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. cue — a signal
  21. bound — certain
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. wind — moving air

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