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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. ball — a great time
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rule — government
  7. ball — a dance
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. file — a document
  10. bank — of a river
  11. tear — from crying
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. file — a tool
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. rule — a law
  18. tear — from crying
  19. scale — in music
  20. rush — hurry
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. file — a line of people
  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