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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 120 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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bat — the animal
  4. staff — employees
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. staff — a stick
  8. fine — all right
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. ground — crushed
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. ground — the earth
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. staff — employees
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. ground — a position
  24. game — wild animals

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