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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — to bear
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. file — a line of people
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. file — a document
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. plane — a tool
  19. rash — a series
  20. cell — in biology
  21. file — a tool
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  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