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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 116 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: bound · net · dip · clip · game · lean · bulb · pitch

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to sink
  4. lean — thin
  5. game — a match
  6. bulb — for light
  7. clip — for paper
  8. net — for catching
  9. bulb — for light
  10. clip — a video
  11. net — in sport
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. game — wild animals
  15. clip — to cut
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bound — certain
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. net — after costs
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. lean — to rest against

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