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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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. ground — a position
  3. march — the month
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bulb — for light
  6. tube — a container
  7. ground — the earth
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rest — a break
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. rest — what's left
  14. tube — the underground
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bulb — for light
  20. ground — crushed
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. rush — hurry

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