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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. band — a ring
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. present — the time now
  10. net — in sport
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. net — after costs
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. present — there
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. net — for catching
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. band — a music group
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pitcher — a jug

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