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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 120 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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. object — to protest
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. net — for catching
  6. bulb — for light
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. net — after costs
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. net — in sport
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. pitch — completely
  13. deal — to handle
  14. cap — a hat
  15. object — an aim
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. cap — a lid
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. cap — of ice
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. object — a thing

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