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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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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: suit · net · pop · drill · stick · pitch · march · tube

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pop — soda
  3. suit — in cards
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. drill — the tool
  8. net — in sport
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. net — for catching
  11. march — music
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pop — to visit
  15. suit — to fit
  16. march — the month
  17. pitch — completely
  18. march — the month
  19. drill — a practice
  20. suit — clothes
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. tube — a container
  23. pop — music
  24. drill — army training

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