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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. land — a country
  3. race — a contest
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. band — a music group
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rush — hurry
  11. hand — help
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. land — ground
  14. deal — to handle
  15. band — a ring
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. race — the arms race
  18. stand — to bear
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. hand — in cards
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. land — to come down
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. race — humankind

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