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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. stem — to come from
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. wind — moving air
  12. kid — child
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. pitch — completely
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. kid — to tease
  18. craft — a skill
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. deal — to handle
  21. craft — boats
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. stem — 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