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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: leaves · pitch · deal · wake · net · ball · game · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. net — in sport
  4. pitch — completely
  5. wake — a trail
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. ball — a great time
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for dancing
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. net — for catching
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. ball — a dance
  21. net — after costs
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. leaves — lets stay

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