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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: net · mate · scale · season · leaves · bound · pitch · chest

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. scale — size or range
  3. season — in sport
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. net — after costs
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bound — obliged
  11. net — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. net — for catching
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bound — tied together
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. season — of the year
  19. scale — in music
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bound — certain
  24. mate — a partner

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