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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bulb — for light
  7. present — the time now
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rash — hasty
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rash — a series
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. row — a line
  16. present — a gift
  17. row — to paddle
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. date — the fruit
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bulb — for light

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