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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bulb — for light
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. mine — for digging
  8. net — in sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. net — after costs
  16. wind — moving air
  17. foot — a measure
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. mate — to breed
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wind — moving air

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