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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. race — the arms race
  4. shower — rain
  5. race — humankind
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. season — of the year
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. season — in sport
  13. land — a country
  14. bulb — for light
  15. land — to come down
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. race — a contest
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stem — to come from
  22. land — ground
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stem — of a plant

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