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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mate — a friend
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. deal — to handle
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. mate — to breed
  24. pitcher — a jug

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