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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 124 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bulb — for light
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — the animal
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bulb — for light
  17. snap — to click
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. lie — to recline
  22. saw — the tool
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bass — the fish

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