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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 124 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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — government
  4. rush — hurry
  5. net — after costs
  6. ball — a great time
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. net — in sport
  9. court — of law
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cell — in biology
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. net — for catching
  17. bulb — for light
  18. court — for sport
  19. rule — a law
  20. ball — a dance
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. court — of a king

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