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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — all right
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mate — a friend
  7. fine — high quality
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cap — a lid
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mate — to breed
  13. cell — a phone
  14. mate — a partner
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bulb — of a plant

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