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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. object — an aim
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. fine — all right
  8. object — a thing
  9. net — after costs
  10. club — for golf
  11. fine — high quality
  12. game — a match
  13. scale — in music
  14. club — a group
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bat — the animal
  17. club — for dancing
  18. game — wild animals
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bulb — for light
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — in an idiom

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