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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bulb — for light
  3. ground — a position
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bulb — for light
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. mark — a grade
  11. ground — crushed
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. game — a match
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fan — a supporter

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