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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. snap — to click
  5. game — a match
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. game — wild animals
  20. fall — to drop
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. bowl — to roll

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