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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: court · bulb · pitch · land · craft · fine · mine · net

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. fine — high quality
  4. net — in sport
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. court — of law
  8. pitch — completely
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. court — for sport
  14. craft — a skill
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. court — of a king
  19. fine — all right
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. craft — boats
  24. mine — for digging

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