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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. net — in sport
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bulb — for light
  6. current — happening now
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. pop — to visit
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. net — after costs
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rash — a series
  14. pop — soda
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. rash — hasty
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. current — electric
  19. current — of water
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. net — for catching
  24. bowl — a football final

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