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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: kid · bulb · chair · bowl · lie · ground · pitch · saw

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. ground — a position
  3. saw — the tool
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bulb — for light
  9. kid — to tease
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. lie — to recline
  22. ground — crushed
  23. kid — child
  24. bulb — for light

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