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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. roll — a cake
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. race — humankind
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rest — a break
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bulb — for light
  13. roll — a list
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. race — a contest
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rule — government
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. perch — the fish
  23. rule — a law
  24. rest — what's left

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