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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 116 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. rash — hasty
  3. march — the month
  4. rest — a break
  5. bulb — for light
  6. march — the month
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bulb — for light
  9. row — to paddle
  10. rash — a series
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. plane — a tool
  14. march — music
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bat — the animal
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. rash — on the skin

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