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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: net · rest · wave · bay · pitch · fork · toast · club

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. net — in sport
  3. rest — what's left
  4. net — after costs
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. rest — a break
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. pitch — completely
  12. club — for golf
  13. toast — bread
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. net — for catching
  17. fork — in a road
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. club — for dancing
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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