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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rule — a law
  3. perch — the fish
  4. club — for dancing
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. club — a group
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. saw — the tool
  12. spring — the season
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. roll — a cake
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. spring — of water
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rule — government
  20. saw — the tool
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. spring — a coil
  23. club — for golf
  24. roll — a list

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