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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. season — in sport
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. scale — in music
  16. spell — letters
  17. season — of the year
  18. bat — the animal
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. spell — magic
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bat — for baseball

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