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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: pop · game · mate · cold · rush · pitch · fine · net

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. net — after costs
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. cold — not warm
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pop — soda
  7. mate — to breed
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mate — a friend
  10. fine — high quality
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pop — to visit
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. rush — hurry
  19. game — a match
  20. fine — all right
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. pop — music

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