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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: net · cabinet · game · tear · scale · pitch · bowl · last

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. tear — to rip
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. game — wild animals
  12. scale — in music
  13. last — to go on
  14. net — after costs
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. net — for catching
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. tear — from crying
  21. net — in sport
  22. pitch — completely
  23. scale — size or range
  24. tear — from crying

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