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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. vault — a safe
  4. bulb — for light
  5. land — to come down
  6. lean — to bend
  7. land — ground
  8. land — a country
  9. net — after costs
  10. cold — not warm
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. cold — an illness
  13. hand — help
  14. net — in sport
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. hand — in cards
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. lean — thin
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bulb — for light

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