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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: bore · rest · sharp · bulb · pitch · net · mug · leaves

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. rest — what's left
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bulb — for light
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. net — in sport
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bulb — for light
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bore — to drill
  12. net — for catching
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — a face
  16. net — after costs
  17. sharp — clever
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. pitch — completely

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