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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. mine — for digging
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. hand — help
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. stand — to bear
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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