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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: last · bulb · stock · pitch · bat · fan · press · sharp

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bat — the animal
  6. stock — shares
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — completely
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. last — to go on
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. last — final
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bulb — for light
  21. stock — goods
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bulb — for light
  24. press — to push

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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