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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: hand · pitch · net · lie · rule · cue · club · sharp

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — for golf
  5. net — for catching
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. hand — in cards
  10. rule — government
  11. club — a group
  12. cue — a signal
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rule — a law
  16. cue — for pool
  17. hand — help
  18. cue — a hint
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. lie — to recline
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. rule — to rule out

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