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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. tear — to rip
  7. file — a tool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. scale — in music
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. can — a tin
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — humankind
  19. can — to be able to
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bulb — for light
  23. can — a tin
  24. scale — size or range

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