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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bat — the animal
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. ground — crushed
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. band — a ring
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bulb — for light
  17. lean — to bend
  18. ground — a position
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bulb — for light
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. lean — thin

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