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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. 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. rest — a break
  2. bulb — for light
  3. shower — rain
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bulb — for light
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ball — a dance
  13. fall — the season
  14. land — to come down
  15. staff — a stick
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. rest — what's left
  18. shower — to wash
  19. staff — employees
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. staff — employees
  23. rest — what's left
  24. 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