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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. club — for golf
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rash — a series
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — a position
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a music group
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — the animal
  12. club — for dancing
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. band — a ring
  23. club — a group
  24. bulb — for light

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