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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. bulb — for light
  3. game — a match
  4. mug — a face
  5. fall — the season
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. drill — a practice
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — to rob
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. drill — army training
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. drill — the tool

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