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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: pitch · net · mate · cold · charge · bowl · dip · straw

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. cold — an illness
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. mate — a friend
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. dip — to sink
  8. charge — a price
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. charge — electricity
  13. cold — not warm
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. net — in sport
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mate — a partner
  23. charge — in control
  24. straw — dry grass

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