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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  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. bulb — for light
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. band — a ring
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. band — a music group
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. charge — in control
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bat — the animal
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. charge — a price
  17. lie — to recline
  18. game — wild animals
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bulb — for light
  23. charge — electricity
  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