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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bark — to shout
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. cue — for pool
  5. court — of a king
  6. snap — to click
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. cue — a signal
  10. land — a country
  11. court — of law
  12. band — a music group
  13. land — to come down
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bulb — for light
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. land — ground
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. band — a ring
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. court — for sport
  24. cap — a lid

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