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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rule — government
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cold — not warm
  9. rest — what's left
  10. net — in sport
  11. squash — the sport
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. net — after costs
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. net — for catching
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. rule — a law
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. squash — to crush

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