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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. snap — to click
  8. face — part of the head
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. staff — employees
  11. band — a ring
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rash — a series
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. face — to confront
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. band — a music group
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. face — to point toward
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pitcher — a jug

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