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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: wave · sharp · kid · pitch · mark · ball · net · last

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. net — for catching
  3. mark — a grade
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. ball — a dance
  8. last — final
  9. pitch — completely
  10. net — in sport
  11. ball — a great time
  12. last — to go on
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. last — finally
  16. kid — to tease
  17. mark — a trace
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. kid — child
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. sharp — clever
  24. net — after costs

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