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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. march — music
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wound — an injury
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. tube — the underground
  7. charge — a price
  8. march — the month
  9. snap — to click
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. tube — a container
  13. drill — army training
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. wound — an injury
  19. charge — electricity
  20. march — the month
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. charge — in control
  24. perch — the fish

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