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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. land — a country
  3. fork — in a road
  4. ball — a great time
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. ball — a dance
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. land — ground
  13. bulb — for light
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. race — the arms race
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. race — humankind
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. race — a contest
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stand — to bear
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. land — to come down

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