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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rule — a law
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bulb — for light
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rule — government

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