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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rest — a break
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rash — a series
  10. track — a path
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. file — a line of people
  14. track — a song
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rest — what's left
  19. track — to keep track
  20. file — a document
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rash — hasty
  23. file — a tool
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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