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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 · bowl · ball · bat · pitch · last · net · bore

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. net — for catching
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. last — finally
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. net — in sport
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ball — a great time
  18. net — after costs
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. pitch — completely
  24. ball — a round shape

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