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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bulb — for light
  7. face — to point toward
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. track — a song
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mine — for digging
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. face — to confront
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. face — part of the head
  17. dip — to sink
  18. track — to keep track
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. game — a match
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. track — a path

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