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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitch · hand · cap · file · pound · bulb · squash · mine

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. hand — in cards
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bulb — for light
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. cap — a lid
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. pitch — completely
  12. hand — help
  13. bulb — for light
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cap — of ice
  16. pound — a weight
  17. file — a line of people
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. file — a tool
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. mine — for digging
  23. file — a document
  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