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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. charge — a price
  4. rash — hasty
  5. spring — of water
  6. net — after costs
  7. bulb — for light
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. net — for catching
  10. drill — a practice
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. spring — the season
  13. net — in sport
  14. pit — in a race
  15. scale — size or range
  16. charge — in control
  17. drill — army training
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rash — a series
  21. scale — in music
  22. charge — electricity
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pit — a hole

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