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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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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: swing · cap · bulb · pass · ground · field · drill · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. field — for sport
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. swing — to play on
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bulb — for light
  9. field — farmland
  10. cap — a hat
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — a position
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cap — a lid
  16. pass — a permit
  17. field — a subject
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — music
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. cap — of ice

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