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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bore — to drill
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bulb — for light
  16. file — a document
  17. ball — a dance
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. file — a tool
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bore — to tire
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. squash — the vegetable

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