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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: bulb · row · content · bark · net · chip · jam · pitch

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. net — in sport
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. row — a line
  9. content — the amount
  10. bark — to shout
  11. chip — for betting
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — completely
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. content — happy
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. net — after costs
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bulb — for light
  24. net — for catching

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