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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. land — ground
  4. squash — the sport
  5. land — a country
  6. court — for sport
  7. bulb — for light
  8. drill — army training
  9. court — of a king
  10. rock — music
  11. hand — help
  12. drill — a practice
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. land — to come down
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — government
  20. squash — to crush
  21. court — of law
  22. drill — the tool
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. hand — in cards

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