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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 116 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: sharp · spell · tube · court · pitch · suit · net · band

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. court — of law
  4. tube — a container
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. suit — clothes
  8. tube — the underground
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. suit — in cards
  11. spell — magic
  12. band — a ring
  13. spell — letters
  14. sharp — clever
  15. court — for sport
  16. band — a music group
  17. net — in sport
  18. spell — a short time
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. suit — to fit
  21. court — of a king
  22. net — after costs
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — completely

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