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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. key — for a lock
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. file — a line of people
  6. toast — bread
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. fine — high quality
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. file — a tool
  13. drill — the tool
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. drill — a practice
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. fine — all right
  19. bark — to shout
  20. file — a document
  21. drill — army training
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. key — in music

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