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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. season — of the year
  3. net — for catching
  4. deal — to handle
  5. file — a tool
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. file — a document
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. bulb — for light
  11. season — in sport
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — a safe
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. craft — boats
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bulb — for light
  24. deal — a big deal

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