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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. bulb — for light
  3. face — to confront
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. hand — help
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. drill — army training
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. face — to point toward
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — for digging
  22. drill — a practice
  23. band — a ring
  24. drill — the tool

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