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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. object — to protest
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. mate — a friend
  5. ball — a dance
  6. current — of water
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. current — electric
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mate — a partner
  13. ball — a great time
  14. wound — an injury
  15. object — an aim
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. object — a thing
  19. mate — to breed
  20. current — happening now
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bat — the animal
  24. mine — an explosive

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