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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: pitch · bowl · file · perch · season · wave · mine · bulb

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bulb — for light
  4. file — a tool
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. mine — for digging
  7. season — in sport
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. season — of the year
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. file — a document
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. perch — for a bird

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