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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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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: bulb · fine · bat · net · pitch · sharp · ground · wave

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. net — in sport
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. pitch — completely
  13. fine — all right
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bulb — for light
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bat — the animal
  19. ground — a position
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. sharp — with an edge

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