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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. drill — the tool
  5. race — a contest
  6. perch — the fish
  7. present — the time now
  8. object — an aim
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. race — the arms race
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — a thing
  13. land — a country
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. race — humankind
  16. land — ground
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. drill — army training
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. land — to come down
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bulb — for light
  23. drill — a practice
  24. present — there

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