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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 · cap · game · jam · lean · court · net · saw

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. saw — the tool
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. cap — of ice
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. game — wild animals
  9. lean — to bend
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. bulb — for light
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. court — of law
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. net — in sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. cap — a hat
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. net — for catching
  21. lean — thin
  22. game — a match
  23. net — after costs
  24. bulb — for light

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