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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: toast · band · net · pitch · mate · mine · bowl · season

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  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. pitch — completely
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. toast — bread
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. band — a ring
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. net — for catching
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. season — of the year
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. season — in sport
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a music group
  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