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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. wound — an injury
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rock — music
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. cell — a phone
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rock — a stone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. shower — to wash
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cell — in biology
  22. shower — rain
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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