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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. land — to come down
  3. ball — a great time
  4. net — for catching
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. land — a country
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cold — an illness
  13. net — in sport
  14. land — ground
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — a stone
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. cold — not warm
  20. ball — a dance
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. net — after costs
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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