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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bulb — for light
  4. present — a gift
  5. season — of the year
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. pitch — completely
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. present — there
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bulb — for light
  17. season — in sport
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wind — moving air
  21. present — the time now
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wind — to turn a key

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