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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bat — the animal
  3. club — for dancing
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spell — letters
  6. drill — the tool
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. drill — army training
  12. snap — to click
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. craft — boats
  15. spell — magic
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bulb — for light
  18. club — for golf
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. club — a group
  22. spell — a short time
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — a handicraft

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