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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. deal — to handle
  3. wound — an injury
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. spell — letters
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wound — an injury
  12. field — farmland
  13. mine — for digging
  14. spell — magic
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. race — the arms race
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. spell — a short time
  21. field — for sport
  22. race — a contest
  23. field — a subject
  24. race — humankind

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