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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: rash · season · bulb · drill · pitch · stick · date · sharp

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. drill — the tool
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — completely
  9. drill — army training
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. rash — a series
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. rash — hasty
  20. season — of the year
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. season — in sport
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bulb — for light

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