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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: bulb · game · club · pitcher · vault · pit · bass · hand

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. hand — help
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bass — low music
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pit — in a race
  8. vault — a safe
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. club — for dancing
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. game — wild animals
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. game — a match
  23. club — a group
  24. pitcher — a jug

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