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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: net · bass · file · pit · ground · bulb · fork · game

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bass — low music
  4. game — wild animals
  5. ground — a position
  6. net — after costs
  7. file — a tool
  8. net — in sport
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. file — a document
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. net — for catching
  15. file — a line of people
  16. game — a match
  17. pit — in a race
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. ground — crushed
  24. pit — a hole

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