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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. net — after costs
  5. ground — a position
  6. net — in sport
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. suit — to fit
  9. roll — a cake
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — in cards
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. net — for catching
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. pass — a permit
  19. cold — an illness
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bulb — for light
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cold — not warm

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