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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 120 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mate — a partner
  3. root — the cause
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. chair — a leader
  7. root — of a word
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. saw — the tool
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. game — a match
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bulb — for light
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. root — of a plant
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. game — wild animals
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. fan — a supporter

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