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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: patient · pitch · racket · net · board · ground · bat · bulb

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. ground — the earth
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. ground — a position
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. board — a committee
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. board — to get on
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ground — crushed
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. net — for catching
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bulb — for light
  24. net — in sport

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