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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 120 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bulb — for light
  3. scale — size or range
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bound — tied together
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. land — ground
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. club — for golf
  12. bulb — for light
  13. land — a country
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bound — obliged
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. club — a group
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bound — certain
  21. land — to come down
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bat — the animal
  24. scale — in 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