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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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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: net · kid · cue · rule · row · pitch · lie · bulb

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. net — after costs
  7. row — a line
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. kid — to tease
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pitch — completely
  13. lie — to recline
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. cue — for pool
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. net — for catching
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. net — in sport
  21. kid — child
  22. rule — a law
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. row — to paddle

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