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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. mate — to breed
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bulb — for light
  6. club — a group
  7. mate — a friend
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cell — a phone
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. mate — a partner
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. club — for golf
  20. cell — in biology
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bulb — for light
  24. snap — to click

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