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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. current — electric
  7. field — a subject
  8. bat — the animal
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. field — farmland
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. current — happening now
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. current — of water
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. field — for sport
  23. kid — child
  24. bulb — 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