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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: land · bowl · mine · pitch · bulb · chair · lie · straw

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. chair — a leader
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. land — a country
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. mine — belonging to me

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