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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: bat · plane · sharp · season · pitch · bulb · field · lash

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bulb — for light
  7. plane — a tool
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. field — farmland
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. field — for sport
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. field — a subject
  17. pitch — completely
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bulb — of a plant

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