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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: bat · fine · suit · ball · row · net · key · pit

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. fine — high quality
  3. ball — a great time
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pit — a hole
  7. row — a line
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. key — in music
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bat — the animal
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. key — for a lock
  15. pit — in a race
  16. ball — a dance
  17. suit — to fit
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. key — the most important part
  20. suit — in cards
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. suit — clothes
  23. fine — all right
  24. row — to paddle

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