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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. staff — employees
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. snap — to click
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. spring — of water
  11. staff — employees
  12. file — a document
  13. bulb — for light
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. spring — a coil
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. game — a match
  18. spring — the season
  19. rash — hasty
  20. file — a tool
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. staff — a stick
  23. rash — a series
  24. file — a line of people

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