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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. track — a path
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. game — a match
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bulb — for light
  10. game — wild animals
  11. stand — to bear
  12. pop — music
  13. drill — army training
  14. cell — a phone
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. track — to keep track
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. drill — the tool
  19. pop — soda
  20. pass — a permit
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. drill — a practice
  23. cell — in biology
  24. track — a song

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