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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: mate · pitcher · net · drill · clip · board · bulb · season

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. drill — the tool
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bulb — for light
  6. net — for catching
  7. mate — to breed
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. season — in sport
  10. clip — to cut
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. net — in sport
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mate — a partner
  15. drill — army training
  16. board — to get on
  17. net — after costs
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. clip — a video
  22. board — a committee
  23. season — of the year
  24. clip — for paper

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