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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bulb — for light
  3. race — humankind
  4. charge — a price
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. charge — in control
  7. race — a contest
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. cold — an illness
  10. net — in sport
  11. charge — electricity
  12. bulb — for light
  13. race — the arms race
  14. band — a ring
  15. chair — a leader
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. net — for catching
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. cold — not warm
  23. net — after costs
  24. chair — to sit on

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