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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. spell — letters
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rash — a series
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. vault — a safe
  14. spell — magic
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. spell — a short time
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rash — hasty
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. calf — of the leg

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