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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. spell — letters
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. net — after costs
  7. bulb — for light
  8. net — in sport
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. spell — magic
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. spell — a short time
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. net — for catching

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