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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 116 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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bat — the animal
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. game — a match
  10. face — part of the head
  11. spring — the season
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bulb — for light
  16. face — to confront
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. game — wild animals

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