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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stem — to come from
  5. face — part of the head
  6. court — of law
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. face — to confront
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. fine — all right
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. face — to point toward
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. court — for sport
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. sharp — clever
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. court — of a king
  24. stem — a stem cell

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