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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 124 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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. lie — to recline
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. ground — crushed
  7. plane — a tool
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. ground — a position
  13. club — for dancing
  14. toast — bread
  15. tear — to rip
  16. club — for golf
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. ground — the earth
  21. mine — for digging
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bulb — for light
  24. club — a group

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