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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 120 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: nail · can · pitch · hand · bulb · mate · field · game

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — completely
  4. game — wild animals
  5. can — a tin
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. can — a tin
  11. game — a match
  12. field — for sport
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mate — a partner
  18. field — farmland
  19. hand — in cards
  20. field — a subject
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. can — to be able to
  24. hand — help

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