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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: can · pop · net · pitch · field · bank · sharp · wake

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. field — farmland
  3. bank — of a river
  4. net — in sport
  5. wake — a trail
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bank — for money
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. sharp — clever
  12. pop — music
  13. can — a tin
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pitch — completely
  17. field — a subject
  18. can — to be able to
  19. net — after costs
  20. field — for sport
  21. pop — soda
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bank — for money
  24. can — a tin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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