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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bat — the animal
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bulb — for light
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. rash — a series
  11. last — finally
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. last — final
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. tube — a container
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. dip — to sink
  21. wind — moving air
  22. net — for catching
  23. tube — the underground
  24. last — to go on

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