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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: roll · pitch · bulb · stick · sharp · land · clip · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. clip — for paper
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. roll — a list
  13. clip — a video
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. land — a country
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bulb — for light
  19. land — to come down
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. clip — to cut
  22. land — ground
  23. fine — high quality
  24. roll — a cake

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