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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. snap — to click
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — all right
  6. bulb — for light
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — a gift
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — a stone
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bat — the animal
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rock — music
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. mine — for digging
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. present — there

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