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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bulb — for light
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. net — after costs
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bulb — for light
  7. net — for catching
  8. object — a thing
  9. kid — child
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. band — a music group
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. kid — to tease
  15. object — to protest
  16. cap — a hat
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. cap — of ice
  19. band — a ring
  20. object — an aim
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. coach — a trainer

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