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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rule — a law
  8. rush — hurry
  9. band — a music group
  10. mine — for digging
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bulb — for light
  16. band — a ring
  17. kick — in football
  18. bulb — for light
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rule — government
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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