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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 120 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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. suit — clothes
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bound — certain
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. land — a country
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. shower — rain
  12. land — to come down
  13. bound — obliged
  14. land — ground
  15. mine — for digging
  16. suit — in cards
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bound — tied together
  24. suit — to fit

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