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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bulb — for light
  4. key — in music
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. file — a line of people
  8. track — a song
  9. bulb — for light
  10. face — to point toward
  11. file — a document
  12. face — to confront
  13. track — a path
  14. key — the most important part
  15. track — to keep track
  16. scale — in music
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. face — part of the head
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. key — for a lock
  22. stand — to bear
  23. scale — size or range
  24. file — a 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