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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. scale — in music
  3. rash — a series
  4. current — happening now
  5. spring — the season
  6. scale — size or range
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mug — to rob
  11. current — of water
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. spring — of water
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. kick — in football
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bulb — for light
  19. current — electric
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. mug — a cup

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