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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. net — in sport
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. date — the fruit
  10. club — for golf
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. club — a group
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. net — after costs
  15. lean — thin
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. lean — to bend
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. net — for catching
  23. face — to confront
  24. bulb — for light

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