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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. dip — to sink
  3. club — for golf
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. club — a group
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — the earth
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — a phone
  10. ground — a position
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bulb — for light
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rash — a series
  24. club — for dancing

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