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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: bowl · swing · net · temple · pitch · prune · mug · last

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. last — finally
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mug — a cup
  17. net — after costs
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. swing — music
  20. mug — a face
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. swing — to play on
  23. net — in sport
  24. swing — in golf

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