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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. shower — rain
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. present — a gift
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. present — the time now
  9. saw — the tool
  10. chair — a leader
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. shower — to wash
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. present — there
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. rash — a series
  24. field — a subject

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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