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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. land — a country
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. swing — music
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. field — for sport
  7. deal — to handle
  8. swing — in golf
  9. field — farmland
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. swing — to play on
  12. bulb — for light
  13. saw — the tool
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bulb — for light
  16. field — a subject
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. land — ground
  23. land — to come down
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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