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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 116 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: object · saw · pitch · bulb · pop · tear · race · racket

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pop — music
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. object — an aim
  9. race — a contest
  10. pop — to visit
  11. saw — the tool
  12. race — humankind
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pitch — completely
  15. tear — from crying
  16. object — to protest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. object — a thing
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pop — soda

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