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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. fine — all right
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a hint
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bulb — for light
  10. scale — size or range
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bulb — for light
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fine — high quality
  18. scale — in music
  19. toast — bread
  20. hand — help
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. hand — in cards

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