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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. land — a country
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. land — to come down
  9. drill — army training
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. pitch — completely
  12. drill — a practice
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — hasty
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. land — ground

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