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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 116 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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. march — music
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. plane — a tool
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. plane — an aircraft

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