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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. land — to come down
  9. bulb — for light
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. file — a document
  12. pit — a hole
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a great time
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. land — a country
  17. file — a tool
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. land — ground
  20. board — a committee
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pit — in a race
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. file — a line of people

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