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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. saw — the tool
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. rule — a law
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bat — the animal
  8. row — a line
  9. rule — government
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bulb — for light
  13. ball — a great time
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. row — to paddle
  18. tube — a container
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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