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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. net — after costs
  4. bore — to drill
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. lean — thin
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bulb — for light
  9. date — the fruit
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bass — low music
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bass — the fish
  15. net — for catching
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. net — in sport
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bulb — for light
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — to rest against

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