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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. face — to confront
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bulb — for light
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fine — high quality
  13. rest — a break
  14. perch — the fish
  15. cold — not warm
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cold — an illness
  19. rest — what's left
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fine — all right
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. face — to point toward

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