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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. mug — a face
  3. land — ground
  4. bulb — for light
  5. rash — a series
  6. tube — a container
  7. bass — low music
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bulb — for light
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — in sport
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bass — the fish
  16. mug — to rob
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mug — a cup
  21. land — a country
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. rash — on the skin

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