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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. firm — a company
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. firm — decided
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. can — a tin
  10. court — for sport
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bulb — for light
  13. can — a tin
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. race — humankind
  16. firm — steady
  17. file — a document
  18. court — of law
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. file — a tool
  21. race — a contest
  22. court — of a king
  23. can — to be able to
  24. pound — a weight

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