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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: arm · bulb · pitch · field · net · clip · stick · racket

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bulb — for light
  5. field — farmland
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pitch — completely
  10. field — for sport
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. clip — for paper
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. field — a subject
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. net — for catching
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. arm — a part of something

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