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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. cap — of ice
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. game — wild animals
  8. march — the month
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. cap — a lid
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. plane — a tool
  19. march — the month
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. game — a match
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. march — music

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