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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. rash — hasty
  4. fine — all right
  5. season — in sport
  6. bulb — for light
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rash — a series
  11. ball — a dance
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. season — of the year
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to click
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fine — high quality
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wind — moving air

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