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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 · season · press · safe · firm · pitch · net · bulb

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. press — to push
  3. net — after costs
  4. bulb — for light
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. last — final
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. net — in sport
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — steady
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. press — newspapers
  16. season — in sport
  17. pitch — completely
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. last — to go on
  20. net — for catching
  21. press — a publisher
  22. last — finally
  23. firm — a company
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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