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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. land — a country
  3. bulb — for light
  4. land — ground
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. land — to come down
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. club — for golf
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. cap — a hat
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. cap — a lid
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. club — for dancing
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. toast — bread
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. club — a group

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