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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. drill — the tool
  3. face — to confront
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. drill — army training
  7. fall — the season
  8. wind — moving air
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. face — part of the head
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. face — to point toward
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. drill — a practice
  18. ball — a great time
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. fall — to drop
  23. chip — for betting
  24. fall — to drop

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