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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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. safe — out of danger
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. net — in sport
  5. present — the time now
  6. mark — a trace
  7. rash — a series
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bulb — for light
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. present — a gift
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bulb — for light
  21. land — a country
  22. present — there
  23. mark — a grade
  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