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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bulb — for light
  11. snap — to click
  12. dip — to sink
  13. board — to get on
  14. tear — to rip
  15. board — a committee
  16. net — in sport
  17. current — electric
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. net — after costs
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. net — for catching

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