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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bulb — for light
  3. mine — for digging
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — obliged
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. present — there
  14. ball — a dance
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. rash — a series
  20. present — the time now
  21. pitch — completely
  22. present — a gift
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bound — certain

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