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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. club — for golf
  6. rush — hurry
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. clip — for paper
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. clip — a video
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. mine — for digging
  13. club — a group
  14. bulb — for light
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. club — for dancing
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. clip — to cut
  24. mine — an explosive

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