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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: firm · cell · net · rush · bound · spring · march · pitch

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. net — for catching
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. march — the month
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. spring — of water
  9. pitch — completely
  10. march — the month
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. spring — the season
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. firm — steady
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. march — music
  20. firm — decided
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — in biology
  23. firm — a company
  24. bound — obliged

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