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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. land — to come down
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bulb — for light
  5. rash — hasty
  6. squash — to crush
  7. mine — for digging
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cell — in biology
  15. land — a country
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. mate — a friend
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. land — ground
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. cell — a phone
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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