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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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. key — in music
  3. net — in sport
  4. perch — the fish
  5. key — the most important part
  6. squash — to crush
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. squash — the sport
  9. key — for a lock
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. race — the arms race
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bulb — for light
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. drill — a practice
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. race — a contest
  18. drill — army training
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. net — after costs
  21. race — humankind
  22. net — for catching
  23. perch — for a bird
  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