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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. net — after costs
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. bulb — for light
  6. craft — a skill
  7. current — happening now
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. current — of water
  10. bound — obliged
  11. net — for catching
  12. season — in sport
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. net — in sport
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bound — certain
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. season — of the year
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. current — electric
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. craft — boats
  23. bound — tied together
  24. season — to add flavour

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