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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 120 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. pitch — completely
  4. march — the month
  5. ground — crushed
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bulb — for light
  8. march — music
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bulb — for light
  12. march — the month
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. shower — rain
  17. present — there
  18. ground — the earth
  19. cell — a phone
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. present — a gift
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. ground — a position

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