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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. game — a match
  4. bulb — for light
  5. spell — letters
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cap — of ice
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bulb — for light
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. spell — magic
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. game — wild animals
  24. fan — a supporter

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